Taken Day by Day
by Immi
Summary: Since when is Mahora a prison? The number of inmates the school holds is doubled when Tsukuyomi is officially inducted as a student and Setsuna is ordered to play jailer. SetsuYomi. AU after chapter 290.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Nothing is owned by me.

AN: This is kind of a sequel to Liquid Heat. Er--actually, I should say that that story is a prequel to this one. So I'd recommend reading that, but it's not necessary to understand this prologue. I'm pretty sure it becomes necessary in later chapters though, so if through some miracle you find this to your liking, read it.

Takes place shortly after the end of the current arc, so once future chapters get around to showing up, it'll probably be AU.

* * *

Killing was fun.

This was one of the great truths Tsukuyomi had come to accept during her time alive. Teachers and victims could say whatever they wanted about it being wrong and immoral, and maybe they were even right. But they would still leave that essential part out:

_It was __**fun**__._

Not only was it fun, it was the most exhilarating hobby anyone could ever hope to take up. Nothing could possibly compare to slicing through someone's body and feeling the spray of their blood splashing over you as you watched the life leave your victims' eyes; the sensation of their final heartbeat pounding through your weapon.

At first, it was just about the blood and its heat. In the cold world Tsukuyomi inhabited, blood was the only thing that made her feel warm enough to be counted as alive. But then she found the Shinmei School, and learned how to fight properly—a way to enhance the pleasure of killing.

There was nothing like killing, but there was also nothing like dueling a strong opponent and snuffing the life out of him. Or her. She did tend to prefer what the flesh of women had to offer.

Before she knew how to properly wield her weapons, the killing had lacked the intimacy it so rightly deserved. In one parried blow, she could understand more about what drove her victim than a thousand stabs to the torso could have told her.

She still didn't really get what it _was_ that she was understanding, or why it mattered, but the end result was that she now felt a connection to her victims that she was free to slice to pieces. She would say that the moment when that bond was severed was what she lived for, but that wasn't true, because not all deaths involved blood—and _that_ was what she lived for.

What really made killing fun—well, one of the more curious aspects of it—was the way people's eyes darkened the instant before their last heartbeat.

It was so funny. Even the warriors who swore that they'd fight until their last breath had that happen to them. Even the people who were holding onto memories of loved ones so desperately in an attempt to make their last moments peaceful—

Okay, so that part wasn't really funny.

It was downright laughable that some people thought they could make their bodies shutting down feel more peaceful than it already was, but for some reason Tsukuyomi couldn't bring herself to laugh about thinking of loved ones anymore. It seemed… wrong.

A few years ago, it still would have been funny, but things had—changed since then.

No one ever held on to their supposedly indomitable will on that last heartbeat; that was what made their eyes darken. In that final moment, they understood that it was finally the end.

So they gave up.

It was a very special moment, and with the best victims, she was the only one who would ever see that weakness in them. In that one moment, they truly surrendered the fight to her. And it would only ever happen once.

For months now (longer if she wanted to be picky, but in the beginning, it wasn't personal), she'd only wanted to share that moment with one person.

The person who, if there hadn't been any outside interference, she would have died thinking of.

Romanticism had never really been Tsukuyomi's forte. To think of things like that and not have it be silly, didn't it have to be focused around something—someone—you cared about for longer than a couple of seconds?

…Of course, that explained things rather neatly.

Sakurazaki Setsuna wasn't just a passing interest—she'd managed to completely capture Tsukuyomi's attention.

So maybe her last thoughts—which ended up _not_ being her last thoughts at all—being so sappy wasn't that strange. Setsuna always managed to make things special and different.

And confusing. Very, very confusing.

Now that Tsukuyomi wasn't dying or in a hospital bed brooding about how she _should_ have died, she was starting to wonder why one of her many supposedly-final thoughts about Setsuna had contained so much relief.

At the very end of it, after they both fought a battle they could be proud of, Tsukuyomi had been overwhelmed with happiness because—

Well—

Setsuna was still _alive_.

That apparently counted for a lot.

Confusing. For as long as they'd been fighting, Tsukuyomi had wanted to have a part in Setsuna's death. Even during their final fight, she'd wanted to kill the half-demon. _Badly_. She'd wanted the thrill that came with killing to join with the delight she felt around Setsuna.

She didn't think there could be any doubt that that would have given her pleasure unlike anything she'd ever known. Her fantasies had only ever given her a small taste when it came to imagining killing Setsuna.

And then Setsuna lived, and she'd been about to die, and… Tsukuyomi had decided to be happy about that turn of events for no particular reason that she could figure out. The lovely view of the blood dripping down Setsuna's arm shouldn't have been enough to cause that level of euphoria, right? Killing was what was fun. She'd always been under the impression that dying was significantly less fun.

But Setsuna was alive. Maybe that had something to do with it. Life could be fun sometimes too, even if it was a little dull without death somewhere in the mix.

…

It wasn't like they didn't have time to figure things out. Tsukuyomi thought it might just be confusing Setsuna too. They could work it out together.

After all, weren't roommates supposed to help each other with strange things like feelings?


	2. Day 1

**Day 1**

* * *

Breathe in, breathe out.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Breathe in—

"Luna-chan didn't have to do any of this."

Setsuna closed her eyes and prayed for peace.

"That's because she's not a mass murderer."

Tsukuyomi sighed unhappily. "Senpai," she whined, "that's not very nice. I haven't murdered anyone in years." She paused, and when she started talking again, Setsuna heard her smile. "Besides, I like to take my time with my kills. Mass death isn't much fun."

Setsuna couldn't help it. She opened her eyes and looked at Tsukuyomi. She knew better than this, and worse, she _knew_ she knew better than this, but… "You just said you haven't murdered anyone in years."

"That's because I haven't."

"But you have killed people recently." As if she really needed to ask that.

Tsukuyomi grinned. _"Yes._"

"I'm surprised Fate allowed that," Setsuna said with forced lightness. Shouldn't the headmaster be calling them in soon? What was the point of making an appointment if he wasn't going to bother keeping it? "Didn't he want to avoid unnecessary casualties?"

Her new charge shrugged, looking less than concerned with what her late boss would or would not have wanted. "_I_ think they were very necessary."

Of course she did. Setsuna drew in a short breath and let it out, trying to remind herself that she had no reason to be disturbed by Tsukuyomi. Whatever the other girl had done, it was in the past. _Before_ her brief mockery of a trial that ended in a sentence that probably didn't even begin to cover for everything she'd done while she was working under Fate. Now, she barely had the power to compete with some of the more skilled kendo students. And if she was crazy enough to try fighting Setsuna—which Setsuna couldn't dismiss as a possibility—it wouldn't be a match at all.

_It wouldn't be like last time._

No, it wouldn't be. That went without saying. For starters, if they both fought at full strength again, there would be no Kurt Gödel showing up to interfere, and Tsukuyomi would die, solving a great deal of Setsuna's current problems.

Setsuna closed her eyes again and told herself not to think like that. She could hate Tsukuyomi. She could wish that the girl had been sent anywhere else to serve out her sentence. She could even hate the headmaster for deciding that she was the best choice for Tsukuyomi's guard if she really wanted to.

But she absolutely could not start longing for Tsukuyomi's death. Whatever had or hadn't happened… It was her duty to look after Tsukuyomi now. She didn't get the option of killing her anymore. She had her duty, and she couldn't let anything get in the way of that. She _wouldn't_ let anything get in the way.

She could hear Tsukuyomi breathing just a few feet away from her. The blonde's stare made her felt like fire to her skin and made her shiver at the same time.

_That's easier said than done._

It would just take some getting used to, that was all, Setsuna tried to convince herself. Since she was a child, she'd only been responsible for Konoka, and that—that was still all she wanted. Keeping an eye on someone she hated instead of someone she lo—_cared for_ would be different.

The sound of the door opening reached her ears and Setsuna's eyes snapped open. Shizuna walked out of the office with a stack of folders in her arms. When she saw them, she smiled.

"Sorry about making you wait—my appointment took longer than expected. You can both go in now."

Setsuna nodded and tried not to look too relieved. She stepped aside, waiting for Shizuna to pass. Behind her, Tsukuyomi did the same, though her movements had the annoying effect of putting her even closer to Setsuna. The half-demon rolled her shoulders uncomfortably and turned around.

"You go in first."

Tsukuyomi had the gall to look surprised. "Huh? Why?"

"I don't want you walking behind me."

Now her damned smile was back. "You don't trust me Setsuna-senpai? I've been at your back the entire time we've been waiting and haven't done a single thing wrong."

Put that way, it did sound a bit ridiculous, but Setsuna didn't budge. "You weren't moving then." Just the idea of Tsukuyomi walking behind her was enough to increase her paranoia. It came from too many weeks of being stalked without knowing it.

Tsukuyomi pouted but didn't object further. She strode into the office quickly, leaving Setsuna to follow. Surprisingly, there was someone else besides the headmaster still in the room.

"Oh! Hi, Gunslinger-onee-san!

To Mana's credit, she only raised an eyebrow before nodding a greeting. "Tsukuyomi. Setsuna."

Setsuna frowned. "What are you doing here Tatsumiya? I thought I was the only one assigned to Tsukuyomi." Hope flared briefly in her chest. Had the headmaster changed his mind? Was Mana going to be in charge of Tsukuyomi instead?

It died when Mana opened her mouth. "You still are. The headmaster just thought it would be reasonable to make sure that I had no objections to sharing a room with her." She shrugged. "And I don't. I can take care of myself, and I don't really spend much time in our room."

Setsuna winced and Tsukuyomi's head shot up from the chair she'd chosen for her seat. Her eyes were bright and intense, reminding Setsuna disturbingly of the way her irises used to turn gold just before their fights. "No? Why not?"

Mana smiled mysteriously. "Now why would I tell you that?"

From behind his desk, the headmaster cleared his throat. Setsuna and Mana immediately looked at him. Tsukuyomi preferred to keep her eyes fixed on Setsuna.

"If you don't mind, I'd prefer to have this over with quickly. Conversation can wait until later." Konoemon shuffled several very important-looking papers on his desk and swept his gaze over his three silent guests.

"Good. Now, Tsukuyomi-kun..." He tapped his fingers against his desk and sighed. "Well. First of all, all the necessary documents needed to enroll you as a student have been signed. Since you couldn't provide us with a family name, you will be attending under the alias Kuzunoha Tsukuyomi, niece of our kendo instructor Kuzunoha Tōko." He eyed the blonde. "I would strongly suggest that you don't point out the relation."

_That's one of the few ways she _won't_ cause trouble,_ Setsuna thought. Tsukuyomi was not a social person. She interacted with the people involved in her work, but she'd barely flinched when she heard that out of all Fate's partners, only one would be joining her at Mahora. She wouldn't seek some stranger out and brag about who her fake aunt was.

"Next, it has been decided that rather than replace your current seal with something less restrictive, the Ouroboros Seal will remain in place."

Tsukuyomi sulked as her hand twitched convulsively up to her abdomen. "Does it really have to? I know how to behave myself."

Setsuna fought back the impulse to roll her eyes. Yes, Tsukuyomi probably did know how to behave herself. That didn't mean she could. If her earlier words about necessary casualties were anything to go by, even Fate hadn't been able to keep her restrained. The Ouroboros Seal was a good idea.

It was one of the most restrictive seals that could be placed on someone. Most just blocked off magic from the mage's control, or, in the case of ki users, prevented ki from being able to exit the body. Those were the ones most typically used on criminals.

The Ouroboros Seal's use was almost completely limited to the Magical World, and was only used when transporting prisoners through areas that were highly concentrated with magic. Most seals couldn't have made it through the Gateport.

But the Ouroboros Seal survived on the victim's own magic and ki. Outside magical interference had very little, if any, effect on it, and any inner interference would die before it gained power. As long as no one intentionally released the seal, it would keep working until Tsukuyomi died.

Of course, it wasn't without its dangers, which was why it was used so sparingly. Prisons were not always the most hygienic of places, and there had been cases where the criminal's bodies had given out because they'd been unable to use the most mundane of their magic—the type that kept mages alive for longer and in better shape than most mundanes.

Quite a few had frozen to death because those responsible for them were used to more resilient prisoners.

But Mahora was not designed as a prison. All the Ouroboros Seal meant here was that Tsukuyomi was completely and utterly powerless—no stronger than a mundane.

"Tsukuyomi-kun, this is not something that can be argued." Setsuna shook herself from her very calming thoughts just in time to see the headmaster glare at Tsukuyomi.

"You are being _punished_. As far as everyone involved is concerned, Mahora is to be your prison until you reach the age of majority, at which time things will be reevaluated. This is _not_ meant for your enjoyment in any way. Expecting otherwise will do nothing to improve your imprisonment."

Tsukuyomi sighed dramatically and collapsed into the back of her chair. Her eyes were dull and unhappy. Apparently taking that as a sign to move on to the more general terms of her incarceration, Konoemon continued.

"As you already know, you will be sharing a room with Setsuna-kun." _She looks far too happy about that._ "Setsuna-kun, I don't want you to let her out of your sight."

"Yes sir." It was expected, Setsuna told herself sternly. It was the exact same thing he had asked when he told her to watch over Konoka. The _only_ difference was how much she liked the person involved.

She steadfastly ignored the little voice in her head that was busy illustrating just how much of a difference that was.

* * *

Well, she couldn't say it was unexpected.

Tsukuyomi hummed to herself and sat down on the floor of the closet-turned-dressing room. She dropped the school uniform she was supposed to be trying on next to her.

Most of the restrictions were things she was looking forward to: rooming with Setsuna, constantly being by her side, staying away from people who didn't know who she really was… All expected, all fun. Wonderful, even.

But the Seal was something of a problem. She'd thought that once she reached Mahora, the Ouroboros Seal would be removed and replaced with something that granted her limited access to her magic—something she could break, given enough time. But no, the headmaster just had to be stubborn.

Tsukuyomi sighed and looked around the empty closet.

Killing anything without her ki would be a challenge. Not the fun kind, either—this was more like when Fate had ordered her to keep an eye on Setsuna without approaching her in any way.

Humans were out of the question. Too difficult and too—

Obvious?

Tsukuyomi blinked as the thought occurred to her. Since when did that matter?

A few seconds later, she got it.

She could kill one of the students, but then she would get in trouble, and the sort of trouble she got in would most likely involve separation from Setsuna, and she didn't want that. She liked Setsuna, and the thought of being apart from her made her breath catch for some reason.

So. No killing.

…

No, no, no, no, that would never work.

Maybe she could kill in moderation.

No, that wouldn't work either. Without human victims, she could only kill small animals that wandered into Mahora. That wasn't anywhere near enough blood.

Wait.

Killing was something she enjoyed. As long as there was blood and violence, she could be happy anywhere. She _thrived_ on it.

But she could survive without it until she figured out a way to get around the Ouroboros Seal. Setsuna was here. Setsuna had _orders_ to stay by her side. She wouldn't leave.

The strange relieved feeling that Setsuna being alive gave her came back for a second, and her heart pounded in a way that made it hard to breathe. Tsukuyomi shrugged the feeling off quickly—it made her uncomfortable.

She would have to be completely dependent on Setsuna. Maybe for a long time. She didn't have anyone else, and finding out how to get rid of a Seal that was supposed to be unbeatable without outside help wouldn't be easy. But not easy was not the same as impossible.

Tsukuyomi took a deep breath and nodded. Doable then. And it was _only_ until she got rid of the Seal. After that, she could have as much fun as she wanted.


	3. Day 2

AN: Apologies for how long this took to get out, but this chapter was a pain to write for a lot of reasons.

* * *

**Day 2**

* * *

Tsukuyomi didn't sleep very restfully, Setsuna noted dully. For someone who acted like she didn't have a care in the world when she was awake, her sleeping patterns were incredibly disturbed. In the past five minutes alone, she'd twisted around so much that the sheets were a tangled mess at the foot of the bed.

And the hour before that hadn't helped. Neither had the hour before that, come to think of it. Or the hour before that. And as for the hour before _that_—

Setsuna groaned quietly and pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes. She was tired. Her head ached from spending all day dragging Tsukuyomi around campus, and all she wanted was to forget about everything for a few minutes so she could fall asleep without dreading what would happen after she woke up.

She couldn't though. No matter what she did, her eyes and ears always came back to her charge, keeping her wide awake. How was Tsukuyomi going to handle being stuck in a class with thirty other students? Did she even know how to interact with other human beings without violence? How long was it going to be before she tried to kill someone?

Tsukuyomi moaned and flipped onto her stomach. Setsuna winced at the noise the bedsprings made; she wasn't used to anyone using the bunk beds. Mana showed up occasionally, but she didn't usually spend the night, and Setsuna always slept on the floor herself. The beds were too cramped.

Setsuna stared up at the ceiling. If she looked hard enough, she could see the faint blue of the room's wards. The color had gotten more obvious since Tsukuyomi had been sentenced to stay. New wards had been put in place so that she couldn't just walk out of the school at night.

Looking at them now, Setsuna felt significantly more trapped. Tsukuyomi had to stay here, and she had to watch Tsukuyomi. They were bound together even more thoroughly than most partners bothered with.

Setsuna mimicked Tsukuyomi and rolled over, curling up under her sheets with her hand on her pactio card.

She wondered if Konoka was still awake. If she was, maybe they could talk. Maybe that could somehow fix the mess Negi's compassion for Shiori had volunteered her for. They hadn't had a chance to talk at all since getting back to Mahora, and today they hadn't even seen each other. It was starting to remind Setsuna uncomfortably of the time they'd spent apart in the Magical World.

Even after meeting up with Asuna, Setsuna didn't manage a peaceful night's sleep until they found Konoka with Kaede. Worry and guilt had kept her up for hours after Asuna drifted off. She was supposed to be Konoka's _bodyguard_—they weren't meant to be separated.

_That's why I can't sleep,_ Setsuna realized abruptly. _Not because Tsukuyomi's here, but because Konoka isn't._

Before getting back to Mahora, they'd shared a room. Sometimes—and just thinking about that made Setsuna's face glow red in the dark—a bed. So now, even though they were back to the sleeping arrangements they'd had for years…

_I miss her. Not—not the way a bodyguard misses a charge. That's not good. That's not good at all._

Setsuna clamped her eyes shut and let go of her card. She wasn't going to think about it. That would only make everything worse. She was going to go to sleep, and when she woke up in the morning, she'd take Tsukuyomi to class.

Konoka would be there.

* * *

"_Ojou-sama, don't! I'm fine—you don't need to waste your magic on me."_

"_Set-chan, you're bleeding too much! I need to heal you before—"_

"_Kono-chan, __**please**__! Negi-sensei is the one who needs you right now, not me, so—Tsukuyomi, what the hell do you think you're doing?"_

"_Losing… I don't think it was… part of my contract. Even with Kurt-kun… I think I was supposed to win. So… I owe Fate-han. A… healed Negi-kun… since Fate-han… wants to fight him so badly… that would make us even."_

"_You didn't have to be so rough."_

"_It… won't… even bruise._

…

_Senpai? Try… not to die. You're… cuter… alive."

* * *

_

Over the years, Tsukuyomi had come across many things that she did not like. Most of those could be dealt with quickly and bloodily, but every once in a while, something would come along that required her to be patient.

"Do I have to wear the tie?"

"It's part of the uniform," Setsuna answered curtly, not looking up from putting on her shoes.

Tsukuyomi sighed and threw herself down on the nest of blankets on the floor. Her tie fluttered down next to her. She'd been hoping that her cute little senpai would be in a better mood after a night of sleep. "It's uncomfortable. And it's not very practical at all—the material's too slippery to strangle anyone besides the person wearing it. Can't I have the ribbon instead?"

That got her brief eye contact and a glare at least. It might have been intimidating normally, but this morning there were dark circles under Setsuna's eyes and she was trying to fit her left foot into her right shoe.

Oh. That explained a lot.

"Aren't you used to waking up early?"

One of Setsuna's hands slipped and the shoe fell to the floor. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, you always woke up before me when you were traveling with the princess. That was back before you and your friends made it to Ostia; after that, it was hard to keep an eye on you. Did things change after that?" If they did, that would be a little strange. The reason Setsuna got up so early was to train, and the need for that shouldn't have changed.

_But she was rooming with Konoka-sama then. Maybe—_

Setsuna broke into Tsukuyomi's oddly darkening thoughts. "Just how long were you following me around?" She sounded like she was trying very hard not to bring out her sword. Knowing Setsuna's stubbornness, that probably meant she wasn't going to lose her temper.

That was a shame. Even without being able to participate, Tsukuyomi would have liked to see ___Y_ūnagi in action again. It was a beautiful sword after all, and Setsuna's expression when using it was one of Tsukuyomi's favorite things in the world to stare at.

"It was only a few weeks—and I was ordered to keep an eye the princess, not you."

"So I was just a bonus."

"Exactly!" Setsuna rolled her eyes and picked her shoe back up. "It really was nice to see you with her," Tsukuyomi continued. "I was worried that I'd be bored following her around all the time, but you made things interesting."

That was resolutely ignored, which Tsukuyomi took to mean that their conversation was over. She rested her head on Setsuna's pillow and closed her eyes.

The pillow was still warm.

It was nice. A few days of no killing combined with no ki meant that she was running a little colder than she preferred, so some of Setsuna's heat was more than welcome. More of it would be nice, but that had been difficult even when she could fight Setsuna on a level playing field. Now, this was probably the most she could get.

Tsukuyomi frowned. _I didn't realize Fate-han's loss would cause_ me _so much trouble. I need to get rid of the Seal soon, so things can go back to the way they were._

Quiet footsteps approached the nest.

…_But I'll make sure to stay around and play a little bit before I leave. After I escape, it could be a long time before we see each other again._

"Tsukuyomi, we have class in a few minutes. You need to finish getting dressed."

"Could you deal with the tie then?"

She heard Setsuna sigh and half-expected to be forcibly lifted off the blankets and thrown out the door. Lack of sleep did not make anyone very friendly, and her senpai was not well disposed towards her to begin with.

For some reason, that thought hurt a little.

Thankfully, Setsuna didn't give her time to dwell on it.

A few seconds of annoyed silence was followed by the oddest sensation of warmth around her neck that made her eyes snap open and her breath quicken. Setsuna was kneeling next to her with her hands very, very close to being wrapped around her neck. Only the tie and Tsukuyomi's shirt separated her from those hands. And the last time those hands had been this close…

Over a week ago. But she could _feel _it; she could remember the look of pure fury that had her senpai so completely absorbed in their fight—that _look _that never failed to remind Tsukuyomi how much she _wanted_—

Setsuna blushed when she realized Tsukuyomi was staring at her. "I don't want to be late. Introducing you is going to be awkward enough without running into class behind everyone else."

"Right," Setsuna's suddenly compliant prisoner breathed.

She needed her sword.

Her knife.

Blood.

_Something_ to distract her from the sudden burning that was running through her body. She _wanted_ Setsuna. Wanted her _so. Very. Badly._ And she _couldn't have her_. Not the way she wanted. There would be no fight right now, there would be a furious slaughter that Tsukuyomi could only experience _once_.

Once was _not_ enough.

_It's just until the Seal breaks it's just until I can break the Seal it's just until I figure out how to leave—_

_**I can wait if it's just that long.**_

_**But I DON'T WANT TO.**_

Pulling away, Setsuna quickly stood up and moved to the door. The sudden blast of cold returned some small amount of restraint to Tsukuyomi's thoughts, and she was able to prop herself up shakily. Her hands were twitching for her confiscated weapons.

She didn't like it. She didn't like it _at all_, but if she wanted to keep herself thinking clearly enough to escape and take Setsuna properly, she'd have to put up with tying her tie herself. Otherwise she could never have the fun she wanted.

* * *

Tsukuyomi hadn't talked at all since they left the room.

And she wasn't smiling.

Setsuna was doing her best not to be unnerved by the abrupt change in attitude, but considering how inappropriately cheerful the younger girl was most of the time... To make matters worse, Tsukuyomi kept on looking at _her_ out of the corner of her eye, leaving Setsuna with the uncomfortable feeling that she was missing something.

_But nothing's changed. What is there to miss? I woke up almost exactly when she did; she didn't have time to do anything, and she was talkative enough—_

"You should get more sleep," Tsukuyomi blurted out.

Setsuna started. "What?"

"You should get more sleep," the blonde repeated. "You're cuter when you don't have dark circles under your eyes."

Did—did she really have to say it like that? "Maybe when you stop tossing and turning on your bed all night long I will."

Tsukuyomi tilted her head, her more typical—_evil_—grin returning to her face. "You could always share it with me. I'm sure I wouldn't move at all if it meant sleeping with you."

"_No_." Never. Not in a thousand years. Sharing a room was bad enough.

"You really don't like those beds, do you?" Tsukuyomi asked, seemingly oblivious to the more obvious reason Setsuna didn't want to share a sleeping space. "Are they too small for your wings?"

"Something like that," Setsuna answered tersely. She changed her mind. She didn't care how disturbing it was; she preferred having Tsukuyomi silent and unhappy. At least then she was cooperative and didn't seem to mold her behavior around the sole purpose of harassing Setsuna.

Whether it was due to emerging common sense or lack of interest in Setsuna's sleeping troubles beyond the desire to make them disappear, Tsukuyomi stopped eying her and changed the subject.

"Is Negi-kun a good teacher?"

Now there was an interesting question. As fond as Setsuna was of Negi, his leadership skills were more effective outside the classroom than in it. He knew how to prepare them for their exams, but most of his students were either too caught up in how adorable he was to pay attention to his lessons or had more interesting things to think about than English.

Setsuna herself was usually in the second category thanks to her extracurricular duties, and since she was supposed to spend so much of her time and energy on Tsukuyomi, that probably wasn't going to change. If anything, it would get worse. Killing demons was easier than minding the bloodthirsty blonde.

"He does as well as can be expected considering the class he has to manage," she answered honestly. Even Takahata had his difficulties with them—the Baka Rangers probably never would have been formed if their class was capable of staying quiet for a reasonable length of time.

_Tsukuyomi would fit right in if half the class didn't know about her involvement with Fate,_ Setsuna thought wryly.

"Hmm. Is Luna-chan going to be there today too?"

"Should I be worried that you keep on bringing her up?"

Tsukuyomi's eyes went wide. "What could I possibly do to hurt Luna-chan? She doesn't have any seals on her and Negi-kun likes her. Attacking her right now wouldn't help me at all. I'm simply curious about an ex-colleague's current living situation."

"You never ask about Kotarou-kun."

"Fate-han was a better boss than Chigusa-han," Tsukuyomi said, "so I care more about his other subordinates. Besides, Kotarou-kun wasn't around much in the first place. He was a late addition to Chigusa-han's plan."

Setsuna was about to ask why, if that was true, Tsukuyomi didn't seem too concerned about Fate's other subordinates, but before she could, a head poked out one of the doorways they were walking past and yelled at her.

"Hey, Setsuna-san! Four-eyes! You're late!"

Setsuna winced. They weren't _that_ late, but she was willing to bet they would have been on time if not for Tsukuyomi's dislike of sensible clothing. "Sorry, Asuna-san."

Asuna rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it. Just get in here already and show Konoka that the two of you didn't murder each other in your sleep. She spent almost all day yesterday worrying about how you were handling… her."

Setsuna's face heated up. "Kono-chan was worried about me?" she murmured.

Asuna's gaze briefly drifted over to Setsuna's new roommate. Her expression darkened. "Well, can you honestly blame her?"

Tsukuyomi coughed softly, drawing Setsuna's attention away from happier thoughts and her friend. The blonde was running her eyes up and down Asuna's body, devouring her relaxed stance with a sharp smile that was dangerously similar to the one she wore when threatening Setsuna.

"I thought we were late, Princess?"

Asuna scowled at Tsukuyomi and waved them in. Negi and the members of the class not currently mobbing Shiori smiled or nodded a greeting when they saw Setsuna.

Including Konoka.

Setsuna got precisely three seconds of staring happily into her partner's eyes before Negi explained to the class that they had another new student joining them, calling Tsukuyomi's presence to their attention.

Half a second before Ayaka's eyes widened in recognition, Setsuna remembered that the people who had joined Negi in the Magical World were not the only members of the class familiar with Tsukuyomi.

"You're the street performer who dropped a giant cat on me!"

* * *

Tsukuyomi thought she might understand Setsuna's reluctant explanation of Negi's teaching skills a little better now. She had never bothered with traditional schooling, but she didn't think most classes considered trying to mob new students appropriate.

At least most of her classmates already knew her, so she only had to avoid a few people and listen to a pair of twins ask if she had another cat they could drop on the Class Rep, who, as it turned out, was the excitable blonde girl at the front of the room. Tsukuyomi didn't like her very much. Mundanes were usually boring, and being forced to pay attention to one just in case any revenge plans were being formed was not Tsukuyomi's idea of fun.

Besides, she could barely remember dropping one of her shikigami cats on the girl. She was a little preoccupied with her Senpai leaving their duel to get shot at the time.

Tsukuyomi sighed and spun her dull-enough-to-be-harmless pencil (had that really been necessary?) around in her hand. Negi was droning on about something and writing on the blackboard, but she couldn't bring herself to pay attention.

This was boring.

The pencil fell through her fingers and Tsukuyomi leaned back in her chair. Looking around, everyone else seemed to be coping a lot better than she was. They were obviously used to this sort of thing. Even the more interesting ones—the ones who caused Fate-han so much trouble—were acting like listening to someone talk about a language was interesting.

Wait—no, that wasn't quite right. A lot of them were just staring at Negi. Tsukuyomi didn't think there were many actually listening to what he was saying. She had to smile a little when she counted Luna as part of that group. Without those feelings, she probably wouldn't have been allowed to stay with Setsuna.

Speaking of which…

Tsukuyomi picked her pencil back up and spun it with a little more force. Dull or not, if she split it in two, the wood could be useful. But that would probably be noticed. There were a lot of people with sharp eyes in this class.

Though… the girl next to her was being oddly inattentive.

Setsuna kept sneaking glances at Konoka.

It was annoying.

Maybe their adventure in the Magical World had spoiled her a little, but Tsukuyomi wasn't used to her Senpai paying so little attention to her. Before, even with Konoka around, there had been no doubt where Setsuna's focus lay.

_It's not like it doesn't make sense. I suppose I'm not much of a threat anymore, and Setsuna-senpai likes Konoka-sama quite a bit. Otherwise she never would have agreed to—_

_**Some**__ things really shouldn't be thought,_ Tsukuyomi reminded herself. She looked over at Konoka, still spinning the pencil.

The Konoe heiress was very pretty, and that air of power that had made her such a satisfying target all those months ago had only increased. New mages weren't usually very much fun to play with, but the amount of raw power contained in Konoka had more than made up for that.

Everything about that job was fun. Setsuna there to fight, and a powerful mage there to claim.

Konoka was starting to return the looks now.

_Are they close enough that even a tiny separation was enough to make them miss each other?_

Interesting.

And… bothersome.

* * *

When class ended, Setsuna half-expected Tsukuyomi to jump out of her chair and dash out of the room. The entire time Negi was speaking, the blonde had either been playing with her pencil or scowling at Konoka. Both actions were incredibly distracting, and had done very little to make Setsuna comfortable with having her partner and her charge in the same room. She'd ended up spending an inappropriate amount of time looking over her shoulder to make sure her friend was still alive.

Which Konoka noticed.

Setsuna's face went hot. She couldn't remember a single word Negi said due in no small part to the staring contest Konoka had—continued. Not to say that she was always paying perfect attention during classes, but between Konoka and Tsukuyomi, she'd be very lucky to escape failing.

As if she didn't have enough to worry about.

Tsukuyomi's voice broke through her thoughts. "Senpai, do we get to leave now?"

Setsuna started to answer, but before she could, a possessive arm wrapped itself around her, halting all brain function.

"You can leave whenever you want, Tsukuyomi-san, but if you don't mind, I'd like to keep Set-chan here with me for a while," Konoka said sweetly.

To think she had considered her face red when Konoka was just _looking_ at her. Setsuna looked down, eying the oddly fierce grip her partner had on her and doing everything possible to hide her discomfort from Tsukuyomi.

"But isn't Setsuna-senpai supposed to stay with me at all times?" Tsukuyomi asked innocently. "I thought that was part of the arrangement that's letting me stay here. If I go on without her I'll probably have to leave."

"And wouldn't that just be a shame?" Asuna broke in.

Setsuna looked up, face still burning. Konoka didn't seem to be letting her go. "She's right, Asuna-san. I'm not supposed to leave her. The headmaster told me that I wasn't to let her out of my sight." Wait. "Ah, not that I don't want to spend time alone with you, Kono-chan," she hurried to explain. "Er—no, that's not right; it's just that—"

"For crying out—I can watch her, Setsuna-san," Asuna said, already in the process of dragging a startled Tsukuyomi out of the room. "You don't have to worry about her running off to start a massacre."

"It's nice of you to offer, Princess, but I prefer Setsuna-senpai."

Setsuna valiantly ignored the implications of that statement and tried to relax as Konoka pulled her closer.

"…Right. Too bad."

Asuna had Tsukuyomi out of the room so quickly that the door was slammed shut by the time Setsuna was spun around and looking into Konoka's eyes. Her attention very well caught, Setsuna forgot for a moment that she should be very, very embarrassed to be resting so comfortably in her partner's arms.

For the first time since the end of her fight with Tsukuyomi, she felt something like peace.

_Kono-chan has really… really pretty eyes._

"You look exhausted, Set-chan," Konoka murmured, cupping Setsuna's cheeks and rubbing the dark circles under her eyes. "Didn't you get any sleep?"

"I got some," Setsuna muttered back. "Things are just—taking some getting used to." She carefully didn't specify which part of the new sleeping arrangements was bothering her so much. Hopefully Konoka wouldn't ask; it would be easy enough to say that Tsukuyomi didn't know how to sleep peacefully, but… it would also be really hard to keep from telling Konoka the whole truth.

"I could ask Daddy to watch over Tsukuyomi-san if you'd like."

Setsuna smiled ruefully. "But if Eishun-sama became responsible for Tsukuyomi, the Ouroboros Seal on her would have to be removed. The Kansai Magic Association doesn't really approve of using it—they consider it too restrictive. Most magical groups do. If Tsukuyomi leaves Mahora, the Seal has to be taken off."

Konoka bit her lip. "Set-chan?"

"Yes, Ojou-sama?"

The title came out automatically—Konoka looked too serious for Setsuna to think of her as Kono-chan right now. She winced and waited for the reprimand, but it didn't come. Instead Konoka kept watching her, concern shining through her eyes.

"Does the idea of Tsukuyomi-san being somewhere you can't see her when she has all of her power… does it really bother you that much?"

Setsuna tore her gaze away from Konoka and went back to her earlier examination of the floor.

"Eishun-sama already has too much to deal with, doesn't he? Especially with Gödel-san's trial coming up. So even if the Seal wasn't an issue, I wouldn't ask him to take over the responsibility of guarding Tsukuyomi. It wouldn't be fair."

"Set_-_chan." Konoka stepped closer; they were practically breathing the same air now. "Maybe she doesn't have to be with Daddy, but she doesn't have to be with you, either. Kaede-san would be happy to take over for you. Grandpa asked you first because he trusts you the most, but you don't _have_ to watch her. No one will force you to."

Setsuna saw and recognized the look in Konoka's eyes. Her partner wasn't any more comfortable with this situation than she was. As long as Tsukuyomi was around to deal with, they wouldn't be able to spend as much time together as they wanted to.

And… Konoka knew more about her history with Tsukuyomi than anyone else. Asuna had only been around to see the beginning of their first duel in the Magical World. Konoka had seen all of the last, and heard more of the words coming out of Tsukuyomi's mouth than she should have. She had every reason to want Tsukuyomi away from Setsuna.

But those same reasons were why Setsuna knew she couldn't let someone else guard Tsukuyomi. It wasn't just the idea of the blonde running free with her power that she found disturbing; it was that, if she wasn't the one watching the girl, there would always be a chance that Tsukuyomi would find her and fight with her again.

The memories of being pinned to a roof—of collapsing on a cold stone floor and watching the cracks fill with her blood—they were still too real for Setsuna to risk the slightest chance of Tsukuyomi being able to fight her ever again.

"I know I could get out of guarding her if I really wanted to," Setsuna said slowly, "but… I need to know that she's not still following me. And the only way for me to know that is if I keep her by my side."

Konoka sighed and wrapped her arms around Setsuna in a tight hug. Setsuna carefully hugged her back.

"I suppose it was a little selfish of me to ask. But I really don't like this."

"I don't really like it either," Setsuna reassured her quickly; she didn't want Konoka to think she was doing this because she wanted to. It was just something that was necessary if she wanted to walk around without constantly looking over her shoulder.

"And it's not like this will last forever, right?"

"Right." A few years at most. She and Konoka were going to have much more than that together.

Konoka pulled away with a small smile on her lips.

"Good. Because I don't sleep as well without you either."

"Wait—what? K-Kono-chan! I didn't say—"

Konoka laughed happily at her partner's scrambled stuttering, and despite her extreme embarrassment, Setsuna found herself smiling back.

That's right. Forever was reserved for them. Not Tsukuyomi.


	4. Day 6

AN: I think I forgot to mention it last chapter, but at this point it is strongly advised that you read the prequel to this, Liquid Heat. I don't think it is really required reading at this point, and it might never be, but at this point I am writing under the assumption that the material in the prequel has been read, so reading it could be handy.

Tsuji is a character that appears in two panels of the 10th volume. I don't think he shows up anywhere else, but I could be mistaken.

* * *

**Day 6**

* * *

"_It's just not the same. If I didn't know better, I'd say you didn't want to fight me. That's not the right attitude at all, Senpai."_

"_I'm not like you, Tsukuyomi. Fighting like this isn't something I enjoy."_

"…_Right. You just want to protect her. You'd fight until your last breath to protect her, wouldn't you?"_

"_Of course!"_

"_So. Protect her from me!"_

Tsukuyomi opened her eyes and reached for where her sword usually was, ready to launch an attack against Konoka. The girl wasn't her primary target, but if that's what it took to get Setsuna to act as she should, Tsukuyomi would be only too glad to spill every last drop of her dear Ojou-sama's blood. Besides, for intruding on their fight, the girl deserved every—

Wait.

Her sword wasn't there. Why wasn't her sword there?

_Not again._

Tsukuyomi rolled over, blinking rapidly and reaching for her glasses. It was so blurry. The shadowy wall next to her bed almost looked like the stone that the ruins were made of. She could almost believe that she was still in the Magical World, and she couldn't have that. Too many distracting memories there. She did not like dwelling on things.

Especially things from happier times that she couldn't get back.

She put her glasses on and the world came back into focus.

The wall in front of her wasn't made of anything remotely close to stone. The small sliver of hope that she was somewhere pleasant withered and died. She was definitely at Mahora, and her weapons were definitely confiscated.

And in pieces, but that was less important. Even a broken blade would be welcome at this point. At least it was sharp.

She would need something sharp soon. Things were starting to unravel. She was waking up shivering in the middle of the night already—it was only going to get worse unless she found something to kill.

Humans were already ruled out. As well as a large number of woodland creatures that lived on campus. They were just too fast for Tsukuyomi as long as the Seal was in place. That left…

Well, there was no dealing with it until she got her hands on something sharp.

Tsukuyomi rubbed at her stomach self-consciously. If she had access to her ki, she wouldn't even need an object. She would only need her fingernails then.

But if she had access to her ki, this wouldn't be a problem in the first place. She could just go out and kill a student.

Only that would upset Setsuna. Upsetting Setsuna wasn't generally a problem but the kind of upset she'd be if Tsukuyomi killed someone while under her care would involve Tsukuyomi being unceremoniously kicked out of Mahora.

That was something to avoid for now. She liked being with Setsuna.

Even though the feeling was less than mutual.

Refusing to care much about that right now, Tsukuyomi glanced over at Setsuna's bed. If her senpai was awake, she might have a window of opportunity she could use to watch her train. The part of their arrangement that didn't allow Setsuna to leave Tsukuyomi alone meant that she couldn't go out in the morning and work off her frustration outside.

Because that _was_ what she was doing. It made it that much more fun to watch.

But this morning the window was gone, and Setsuna was sitting on her nest meditating. Tsukuyomi slowed her breathing and stifled her groan of disappointment. Not that it wasn't enjoyable to feel Setsuna's ki taming itself, but she preferred to wake up earlier and watch it run free. It felt—happy, almost.

Like what she felt when she was dying and Setsuna was leaving alive.

What was it?

The one thing from the Magical World she couldn't help dwelling on.

What was that feeling?

"If you have time to stare at me, you should be getting ready for school."

She really woke up late today if Setsuna was already done. Or maybe having her awake was just too distracting for meditation. There was a happy thought.

"Do I really have to?"

Setsuna rolled her shoulders and hopped to her feet. The circles under her eyes were still there, but several shades lighter. It seemed like she was finally settling back into her normal routine. Konoka's little talk with her had done wonders.

Not thinking about that because it made her feel strange, Tsukuyomi sighed and rolled herself off the bed, casually undoing the top buttons on her shirt. "I like staring at you more than I like get getting dressed."

Setsuna's eyes drifted down for a moment before she realized what she was looking at and spun around quickly enough to give Negi a run for his money. Her neck was bright red. Tsukuyomi laughed and removed her shirt completely.

"There's really no need to be shy, Senpai. You've seen much more of my skin than—"

"That was in the middle of a battle!" Setsuna cried out, just stopping herself from turning back around. "And it only happened because you refuse to wear reasonable clothing!"

Well that was rather unnecessarily rude. "You aren't really in a good position to be pointing fingers. Until our last battle, you could have passed yourself off as a maid café employee." Tsukuyomi hoped Setsuna would bring up what prompted the switch. That incident had proven to be fuel for many of her fantasies.

Setsuna didn't, though. She just kept her back turned while her neck slowly darkened. Tsukuyomi had to laugh again while she rifled through the locked boxes under the bed to find her supply of school uniforms. Her senpai was so cute.

"Could you hurry up?"

"We aren't going to be late." Ah, there they were. How did everything get so scrambled under the bed when she was the only one who ever moved anything down there? Maybe their absent roommate had something to do with it.

"That's not what I'm worried about," Setsuna mumbled.

Tsukuyomi pulled her head out from under the bed and started slipping her uniform on. "Could it be that you're uneasy around me when I'm undressed, Setsuna-senpai?" she purred.

"That's not it!" the horribly blushing swordswoman practically shouted. It was a good thing their room was soundproofed. Otherwise they'd be attracting all sorts of attention from their hyperactive classmates. The two mini-ninjas in particular.

Tsukuyomi looked over her shoulder at her Senpai. Besides her bright red flesh, Setsuna's hands were balled into tight fists and she was looking down at the floor.

"You're not being very honest, are you Senpai?"

Setsuna's head jerked slightly to the side, but she managed to keep herself from looking at Tsukuyomi, much to the girl's disappointment. She could see a muscle in Setsuna's jaw twitching. Then, as if calling back her earlier meditation, Setsuna's body relaxed and she breathed out steadily. She turned around, and though her face was still very red, she met Tsukuyomi's eyes without any trouble.

It probably helped that Tsukuyomi had managed to dress herself completely—even dealing with her tie—while her senpai's back was turned, but it was still very impressive to see how much control Setsuna could have over herself. Baiting her really was more difficult when she wasn't a threat Setsuna had to acknowledge.

"If you're okay without any breakfast, it's time to go."

No it wasn't, it was about thirty minutes too soon for it to be time to go, but Tsukuyomi let it go. Getting on Setsuna's nerves this early wouldn't accomplish anything. Right now, even the slightest touch was wearing on her self-control. If Setsuna snapped and actually started a fight, she wouldn't be in any condition to enjoy it properly. Now, if she could only use her ki, this would be a perfect—

_Have to wait until class for that sort of thinking._

Besides, leaving early and arriving on time meant that Konoka and the princess couldn't tag along, which they'd taken to doing the last few days.

Since spending any amount of time in Konoka's presence was, for some reason, more annoying than Tsukuyomi found tolerable, she didn't mind going out of her way to avoid her Senpai's—partner.

"I never eat breakfast, Senpai, you know that."

Setsuna didn't say anything in response; she just opened the door and stared at Tsukuyomi with a stubbornly impassive look on her face—which would have been more impressive but not as cute without the blush—waiting for her to leave the room.

Tsukuyomi snickered and walked out, carefully avoiding brushing against Setsuna.

They walked down the hall in relatively peaceful, if a little tense, silence for several minutes before Tsukuyomi decided that Setsuna was once again composed enough to play with a little more.

"I suppose since you're not completely human, you can get away with it every once in a while."

"Get away with what?"

"Not being honest."

* * *

Walking across campus, it became all too apparent how early they were. The entire campus had less people than ten people walking around at this hour—and that _included_ the teachers. Almost anyone who had anything to do with the school started dashing towards whatever building they needed to be five minutes before classes started.

It was awkward, Setsuna thought, but it was still better than staying in their room and trying to avoid eye contact without looking evasive. She was better at avoiding people when she wasn't forced into sustained close contact with them. At least outside there was moderately fascinating scenery she could pretend to be interested in.

…Even if it was painfully obvious that Tsukuyomi knew exactly what she was doing.

Somehow, it didn't seem right that someone so mentally unhinged could be so observant.

Knowing that Tsukuyomi probably wouldn't be so observant of anyone else did not help.

"Do we know him?"

Setsuna snapped her head back at her charge. "Know who?"

Tsukuyomi pointed over to the lone dark figure on campus that was dashing towards them. It looked to be a male teenager—possibly several years older than them. He was waving a wooden sword above his head. "Him."

"Sakurazaki-kun!"

She knew that voice from somewhere… Setsuna's eyes widened as recognition set in and she stepped in front of Tsukuyomi. "Don't forget what the headmaster told you," she muttered.

"He said a lot, you know."

"Tsukuyomi..." Setsuna didn't get a chance to finish her warning before the figure got within hearing distance. He came to a halt several feet away, bent over, breathing hard and using his sword as a crutch.

"Sakurazaki-kun, finally!"

Setsuna smiled awkwardly at the kendō captain. "Uh… good morning Captain Tsuji. Is there something wrong?" Had he finally noticed that she was no longer part of the club and decided to make a scene over it?

After she'd been informed that Tsukuyomi was going to be joining Mahora as a student, Setsuna made the decision to abandon all extra-curricular activities in order to better keep an eye on her. Thankfully, when she made quitting the kendō club official, the team captain hadn't been around. She thought that she'd gotten out of dealing with him, but maybe she didn't give his determination enough credit.

Tsuji straightened himself and looked sharply at her. "Well besides your sudden abandonment of our club—is this her?" His gaze shifted over to Tsukuyomi. "This is your kohai?"

Oh no.

"Ah, Captain Tsuji—"

"That's right," Tsukuyomi said sweetly, smiling endearingly at the older boy. The look sent shivers down Setsuna's spine, and she had to fight back the instincts telling her to run as far away as possible.

Tsuji did not seem to have the same problem. He clicked his feet together and bowed to Tsukuyomi.

"Please join the kendō club!"

"She can't!" Setsuna objected. Tsuji looked up at her, a perplexed frown on his face.

"And why not, Sakurazaki-kun? If she's your kohai, there shouldn't be any problem, and since you've left, we have a spot open that she'd be more than welcome to take. And besides that, it isn't your place to answer for her."

Setsuna vowed to never leave for class early again. She was left scrambling for an answer while Tsukuyomi just smiled at her and pretended to be distracted by a passing butterfly.

"Well, you see, ah, she just transferred here, and it's really more important for her to adjust to her new lifestyle than it is for her to join any clubs. And her parents want her to avoid any violent activities, so I don't think it would work out anyway."

Tsuji's expression darkened. "I was under the impression that you are both intimately familiar with a certain style of martial arts. If that is the case, why would her parent object to—?"

"I really don't know, but they have a problem with it, so she can't join." Setsuna rubbed the back of her neck, more than a little embarrassed out how absurd her lies sounded. And who had told him about their swordsmanship style? There was no good reason for a mundane to be aware of the Shinmeiryuu arts even if he didn't have a name for it.

The kendo captain's scowl deepened. "Her parents wouldn't have to know—"

Tsukuyomi sighed dramatically, drawing Tsuji's attention away from arguing the point with Setsuna. Her smile was disturbingly bright. "I'm sorry to say it, but due to my own personal preferences, I was forced to kill my parents a long time ago. I've been told that that sort of behavior isn't appreciated here, so—"

"Sorry Captain Tsuji, but we really have to go," Setsuna broke in quickly. "Come on Tsukuyomi, we don't want to be late for class."

With anyone else, possibly even Konoka, Setsuna would have reached out and dragged them away from the stunned kendo captain. But since it was Tsukuyomi in this situation, she just looked at the other girl significantly and started walking away as quickly as possible.

True to her expectations, Tsukuyomi followed without any hesitation, maybe only stopping to wink at Tsuji.

Setsuna didn't look at Tsukuyomi. She was feeling lightheaded, and looking at the content, smiling blonde would only make it worse. This wasn't like the embarrassment from earlier. It was closer to the way she'd felt seconds before passing out in Eishun's arms three weeks ago.

"Is there something wrong, Senpai?"

"You're supposed to be behaving yourself, not traumatizing other students," Setsuna blurted out, saying the first thing she could think of that didn't have anything to do with her imagining the people she was starting to think were Tsukuyomi's first victims.

"He's the one who brought it up. I was just being honest."

Setsuna stopped.

"Senpai?"

"So you really killed them?"

"Does that surprise you?" Tsukuyomi sounded puzzled. "You know I've killed people before."

Setsuna turned around and stared at Tsukuyomi, taking in her guileless expression and the genuine confusion in her eyes. She looked impossibly innocent, and Setsuna felt just a little sick imagining a younger version of the blonde slicing her progenitors to pieces.

"They were your parents."

Tsukuyomi looked even more confused. "So?"

"So…" Setsuna thought of Negi, still searching for any clue that might lead to his father's whereabouts. And Konoka loved her father more than anyone else in the world.

Setsuna never knew her own parents. By the time she was old enough to remember anything, they were long gone. But she knew what it felt like to want one. She saw the way Konoka clung to Eishun, and anyone could see how badly Negi wanted his dad back.

It was important, wasn't it? Having a parent?

"Doesn't that matter?"

Tsukuyomi blinked. "No, not really."

Setsuna stared at the oblivious girl in front of her for a few more seconds. Then she shook herself and returned to walking to their classroom as quickly as possible, Tsukuyomi trailing behind her.

* * *

Tsukuyomi tapped her dull pencil against the paper, blocking Negi's voice out and trying to remember all of the things she'd ever heard about the Ouroboros Seal. So far she had a pretty complete list, but she felt like she was forgetting something important about why it wasn't used very often.

Oh well. It probably had something to do with treating prisoners humanely. Tsukuyomi wasn't too concerned with details like that; she knew the Seal was unfair, but told her nothing about how to break it.

The rest of the list probably wasn't very helpful either, but she couldn't be positive that all the points were useless.

Tsukuyomi put her head down on the desk and rolled her pencil across its surface. So much for taking advantage of Setsuna's inattentiveness. To get anything out of her remembered information, she'd probably have to spend hours staring at it.

That would definitely get her noticed. Even if Setsuna was developing the bad habit of paying no attention to her during classes, the princess would see.

Really, Tsukuyomi didn't know what was bothering Asuna so much. Wouldn't it make more sense for the princess to feel uneasy around the person who had temporarily stolen her identity? Outside of the Gateport incident, Tsukuyomi was sure she'd never touched a single hair on the princess' head. Fate complained whenever she got too close.

Admittedly, that might have had more to do with him keeping the princess' dangerous talent in mind than—

_Could that work?_

Tsukuyomi glanced at the small drawing of the Ouroboros Seal that she'd made on the top of the page. She traced the area on her stomach where the Seal had been pushed into her body.

The princess' power didn't reach far enough to inadvertently break it. Otherwise the many times she'd felt the need to manhandle Tsukuyomi would have disrupted the Seal.

And maybe she didn't have enough power to either. By now, the Seal wasn't just a seal, it was the sum of every ounce of magical energy in Tsukuyomi's body. If Asuna's Magic Cancel was capable of canceling that much power, at the very least she'd cause any mage she touched a considerable amount of pain.

Since that didn't happen, it probably wouldn't—

_Her artifact has the ability._

Tsukuyomi's eyes widened. That would work, wouldn't it? Asuna's power couldn't penetrate the Seal, but if the Seal was physically sliced by the ability, there would be enough of a break in the energy supporting the Seal that it would fall apart.

It would have to be done carefully though. The princess' sword was still a sword, even if it did have special abilities of its own backing it. With the Seal being at the very core of her being, there was a good chance that she would bleed out before getting to use her power.

Or Asuna might miss.

That was another problem then. Tsukuyomi would have to guide the sword without the princess knowing about her plan. If she knew the plan, she would never use anything besides her fists, and while that could be satisfyingly painful, that wasn't the point.

_She'd have to be very angry to bring it out at all._

…_I can do that, can't I?_


	5. Day 7

**Day 7**

* * *

Setsuna was no stranger to being late. Being friends with Konoka, Asuna, and Negi meant that mad dashes to their classroom in the morning because someone hadn't managed to wake up early enough were to be expected. In time, being late had almost become part of their daily training regimen. Running at a fairly demanding pace while avoiding throngs of people in as much of a rush as they were was good exercise.

However, she could count the times she had been late for an actual event—instead of just its preparation—on one hand.

So when she ran into the headmaster's office thirty minutes after her appointment was scheduled, it was fair to say that she was most assuredly out of her element, and very, very embarrassed—and possibly a little jumpier than usual. That feeling was not helped in the least by the abrupt way Mana had chosen to wake her up.

Or the lack of sleep.

"I'm so sorry sir," Setsuna immediately started babbling, bowing as low as she could without making it painfully obvious that she wanted to hide her face in shame. "With everything that's happened it completely slipped my mind that I was supposed to report back to you and—"

"Setsuna-kun."

Setsuna stopped talking and dared to raise her head. The headmaster smiled at her.

"I should be thanking you, Setsuna-kun." He took a sip of his coffee, looking so relaxed that Setsuna almost felt like it had been expected for her to show up late. "Looking at the past few, you might not know it, but I am far from appreciating working this early on a Saturday. In fact, maybe we should arrange these meetings at a later time for both our sakes. Would that be any problem for you?"

The mortified swordswoman shook her head. "No, Headmaster, of course not. Even if we stayed at the earlier time, I would still make sure I was better prepared than I was today. I will definitely arrive on time in the future. I just—I'm sorry sir, but I completely forgot."

Konoemon waved her excuses aside with a wave of his hand. "I have no doubt you will. As for this morning, please do not concern yourself with not being on time. I have hardly gone out of my way to remind you, and considering how trying this past week must have been for you, I should have. Asking you to keep so many new duties straight in your head was unfair."

"Still sir, I apologize for making you wait. And, uh, I will gladly pay any fee Tatsumiya required for waking me up," Setsuna added, wincing slightly.

The headmaster chuckled into his mug. "Thankfully, she was willing enough to help you without putting a price tag on it this time. Something as mundane as waking a roommate wasn't enough to warrant her usual rates."

Setsuna sagged in relief. Since returning from the Magical World, the gunslinger had started charging for even the smallest service provided by her. According to Negi, it had to do with something Shiori had done while she was acting as Asuna.

What that was, Setsuna had no idea; she was just glad that, for now, her wallet wasn't one of the victims of Mana's skyrocketing rates. Her tab was sizable enough without anything extra added to it.

Konoemon put aside his coffee and leaned forward. "Now, onto business; how did Tsukuyomi-kun handle her first week as a student?"

Setsuna shrugged her shoulders uncomfortably.

"She's—behaving."

At least, the girl was following the rules that had been set down for her a week ago. Even the incident with Tsuji hadn't been a result of Tsukuyomi deliberately misbehaving; she just didn't stop to think that mundanes—or even people in general—might have a problem with her casually mentioning murder.

Killing people, Setsuna corrected herself, remembering the careful distinction Tsukuyomi made. She didn't know for sure that it had been murder.

Beyond following the letter of the rules mentioned by the headmaster, Tsukuyomi wasn't overly concerned with controlling herself. Setsuna was pretty sure she spent most of their classes doodling or otherwise distracting herself, and her casual approach to their interaction was maddening. Sometimes it felt like she'd forgotten how close they came to killing each other.

But Setsuna didn't say any of that. She informed the headmaster that Tsukuyomi had been prompted into making some unfortunate remarks that could easily lead to Tsuji suspecting her of something sinister if he cared to think about it and left it at that. That Setsuna found the blonde's default behavior annoying was her problem, not her superior's.

Konoemon did not seem too concerned with their episode with Tsuji (most mundanes were not going to take throwaway remarks about death seriously at all), so thankfully Setsuna wasn't forced to go into detail about what was said.

He did, however, want to know what she was doing about her own training.

"I've mostly been using our room," Setsuna said. "I can't leave Tsukuyomi alone, so it's best just to wake up before she does."

Konoemon stroked his beard thoughtfully. "That's hardly a convenient way to train, Setsuna-kun."

Setsuna couldn't really respond to that. He was right, but she couldn't think of any other way to watch Tsukuyomi without neglecting her training.

"Negi-kun spends his lunch hour with Evangeline, correct?"

"Yes sir."

The headmaster smiled. "Well then, considering your report, I don't think it would be unreasonable if you left Tsukuyomi-kun alone in your room while you joined him. Unless you can think of a reason why stricter supervision would be required?"

Yes, she could think of several. Easily. But most of them were personal in some way, and the thought of spending every day of Tsukuyomi's confinement trying not to destroy her dorm room worried her. And an even shallower part of her was reminded that training in Evangeline's resort meant spending time with her friends… her partner.

So all she could really do was smile and nod her head at the headmaster's suggestion.

* * *

Setsuna left the headmaster's office feeling uncomfortably on edge.

One of the many conditions that allowed Tsukuyomi to stay at Mahora, under the Ouroboros Seal, instead of somewhere else, was that Setsuna report once a week on her behavior. Konoemon had an unusual degree of trust in his students, but he was not comfortable with having someone with a record like Tsukuyomi's running around campus with only one person aware of her activities.

Setsuna agreed with that, but somehow, being reminded that her roommate was actually being cooperative bothered her. She wanted to be free to hate Tsukuyomi in peace. That was better than looking at her and seeing an innocent girl that could turn into a heartless, bloodthirsty monster at the drop of the hat.

And last night, lying awake for countless hours, that was all she could see.

It was disturbing.

Before Tsukuyomi opened her mouth yesterday, Setsuna had done a very good job not thinking about their past interaction. She let herself dislike Tsukuyomi, but the memories influencing that stayed far away from her conscious thoughts. The less she thought about her history with the girl, the better.

But last night, that was all she could think of.

Setsuna slowed her pace. Tsukuyomi had been sleeping in later and later, so there wasn't much danger of the girl waking up and causing trouble. She could afford to have a little time alone with her thoughts.

Why did Tsukuyomi kill her parents?

She kept coming back to that question. Setsuna thought she knew Tsukuyomi pretty well—not that she was happy about that, but she did.

And she just… didn't understand. She couldn't say it was out of character, because Tsukuyomi's love for killing was well-established, but it felt weird. Tsukuyomi might like killing people, but she didn't always—

"_You're… cuter… alive."_

Setsuna stopped.

Why wouldn't she make that exception for her own parents?

* * *

Tsukuyomi flopped down on Setsuna's nest, curling up to the warmer parts of the bedding. It was a little frustrating to feel the lovely heat from something that couldn't bleed, but it was still nice. Somehow, the room seemed to be getting colder every day.

And Setsuna wasn't there.

That was more frustrating than the lack of warmth.

The note left by her bed said that her Senpai was attending a meeting of some sort with the headmaster, and would be back shortly. Tsukuyomi didn't know when the note was left, but she thought she'd been awake for long enough that if the note had any truth to it, Setsuna would be back by now.

She couldn't just leave the room and check for her roommate either; the wards kept on blocking her from getting out.

She did not like being stuck in a high school dorm room without Setsuna.

Tsukuyomi rubbed at her eyes. Things were always so much better when her Senpai was around. There was an extra spark to their interaction that Tsukuyomi's past victims had always deprived her of. They bled and died satisfactorily, quite a few of them screaming, but after the high wore off, there was nothing left.

Setsuna was a very special victim. She was there again and again, surviving everything Tsukuyomi threw at her. It was such a thrill to fight with her that Tsukuyomi hadn't even noticed how bloodless their first few fights were. Fighting Setsuna was heavenly.

…Was that why she'd felt happy when Setsuna walked away breathing?

No, Tsukuyomi noted. Back then, she'd been certain of her own death. The idea of living long enough to have another proper fight with her Senpai wasn't something she'd entertained seriously. It was a nice thought, but bleeding to death didn't usually lead to more battles.

They would certainly have a battle like that again though. Tsukuyomi grinned. She could feel her blood begin to boil at the thought. A true fight where only one of them could walk away to kill another day—

No, that wasn't right. Something in Tsukuyomi's chest twitched.

She sighed and rolled over to bury her face in Setsuna's pillow.

She wished school was every day of the week. Now that she had an idea for removing the Seal, being kept from interacting with one of the key components of her idea was annoying. She needed the Seal _gone_. It was one thing to have strange thoughts about an opponent when she was bleeding to death.

It was another to feel strange things about her favorite pastime.

When was Setsuna coming back?

At first it was fun to poke around the room and look at her Senpai's stuff, but all of the fun toys were locked up tight under the bed. Tsukuyomi had tried to unlock the boxes, but some paranoid person had set up the most convoluted chain of padlocks.

Then she'd looked around on the floor for something she could use as a weapon. No matter how careful Setsuna was being around her, she was too vigilant to not keep a spare within easy reach. If Tsukuyomi had a place she consistently slept in (before her imprisonment), she'd want several things hidden around the area.

On the other hand… Setsuna knew her better than anyone else. Not as well as she'd thought—yesterday proved that—but still well enough to know how she'd behave if left alone in their room. And Setsuna definitely did not like taking any chances when it came to her.

In the end, Tsukuyomi had dutifully searched the rest of the room without expecting to find anything. She did find something, but it was only useful in psychological warfare. She didn't mind that, but she only liked it when it was _mixed_ with slicing people.

Not that a picture of Setsuna with her dear Ojou-sama was likable in any way.

Tsukuyomi pulled the heavily worn picture out of her pocket and scowled at it. She recognized the clothes, and that helped, but she did not like the way Konoka was clinging to her Senpai.

She couldn't touch Setsuna because the high the older swordswoman tended to induce was something reserved for when she had a weapon in her hands. In her current state, she was forced to avoid physical contact with Setsuna. Also, her Senpai disliked touching her.

Setsuna's arm was wrapped around Konoka in the picture.

They would probably never fight—never spill each other's blood _ever_ because Setsuna was nothing if not diligent when it came to her duties. That was something that would never happen.

All the same, the small photo of them was enough to make Tsukuyomi feel somewhat jealous.

The door squeaked open and she looked up from the source of her frustrations to see her Senpai's cute face go from pensive to ghostly pale and horrified. When she looked down again, the photo was gone, and Setsuna was several inches away from her hand.

Tsukuyomi was tempted to reach across those several inches, but she unfortunately knew better.

Besides, it had been far too long since she'd had a chance to catch Setsuna off-guard. She smiled at the dismayed expression on her cute little Senpai's face. Far, far too long.

"_Where_ did you get this?"

"It was next to your nest."

"It's not a—what are you doing on my bed?"

Tsukuyomi propped herself up, keeping their distance the same and making Setsuna flush in something that didn't look much like anger to her. Her grin broadened. Oh, that was just adorable. She was suddenly not feeling at all happy with Setsuna's ex-primary charge, but really, Setsuna could be so impossibly cute.

"This is not a bed. That," she pointed at her bed, "is a bed."

Setsuna took several deep breaths and very carefully, very slowly, opened Yūnagi's case and slipped the picture inside. "Not mine."

"You're more than welcome to change that." _After I find something to fight you with. Not before. It can't be before._

Setsuna's unfortunate, predictable reaction to that was to put half a room of space between them. "No."

"I keep forgetting; you don't like them."

"No you don't," Setsuna said sharply.

Tsukuyomi raised her eyebrows, but she didn't think she pulled off a very affronted expression. That was more like it. After yesterday, she'd been slightly concerned. She was now perfectly willing to forget Setsuna keeping a photo of her and her _ex_-charge next to the place she slept.

Setsuna crossed her arms and looked away.

Tsukuyomi took advantage of the lack of attention and let her eyes linger on the older girl's features.

She looked exhausted.

Tsukuyomi wasn't used to that.

Setsuna had obviously slept poorly last night. After Konoka started spending more time with the bodyguard, the dark circles under her eyes had all but vanished. Something must have happened to put her in one of her over-thinking moods yesterday.

What though?

Setsuna stopped her imitation of a gargoyle and met Tsukuyomi's eyes with the most peculiar, piercing expression. Tsukuyomi stopped wondering about Setsuna's odd moods and sat up straight.

That was a serious look she recognized.

"What made you kill your parents?

_That?_ Still?

Tsukuyomi blinked. "Their blood was warm."

"And that's all the reason you needed?"

"Yes." That was all the reason she ever needed.

Killing was the reason she lived. Why didn't Setsuna understand that?

Setsuna didn't say anything for several minutes. She just kept looking at Tsukuyomi. It was enough to make the murderess feel very lightheaded.

That expression…

Right now, there could be no question that her Senpai was looking only at her.

Setsuna sighed and looked out the window, breaking off her intense gaze and leaving Tsukuyomi feeling tingly all over. "You're going to be spending your lunch hours alone on school days."

What?

"You're supposed to keep an eye on me at all times, aren't you?"

"Because you have behaved yourself so _well_ this past week," Setsuna almost growled the words, "the headmaster has decided that you can be trusted enough to not cause any problems alone in our room for one hour a day. Since I need to keep up my training, I will be leaving you here every school day at noon to work with Negi-sensei and the others."

Tsukuyomi felt her good mood evaporate, a dull chill taking over the hollow of her chest. Her heartbeat was strangely loud.

Setsuna was going to be spending even more time alone with Konoka.

She was going to leave her in this empty room, _alone_, for an hour without anyone to play with, five days a week.

And all of the time Tsukuyomi lost would go to Konoka.

Training or not, with her partner in the same room, Setsuna's thoughts were always, _always_, _insufferably_ on her.

And… and…

Her Senpai just wouldn't be there, would she?

She'd be gone.

That—Tsukuyomi didn't like that.

She didn't like this room without Setsuna in it.


	6. Day 11

AN: This chapter was really hard to write. Mostly because the plotting for the next chapter was completely done by the time I remembered that I needed this one to make things go smoothly. Muses shouldn't be allowed to show up when they can't be put to work immediately.

* * *

**Day 11**

* * *

"It's not like I _asked_ to be put in charge of you!"

Setsuna marched out of their room, slamming the door shut behind her.

_She doesn't seem very happy with me._

Tsukuyomi tapped her pencil rhythmically against the posts of her bed. Her dear Senpai had decided to let her keep the pencil during lunchtime so that she'd have something to do besides staring out the window at people she wasn't allowed—or able—to slice up. Usually the pencil was taken away from her when they weren't in classes, never mind that it was about as dangerous as a toothless kitten.

_Or a caged bird._

Small cracks appeared in the tiny, hopelessly dull writing tool.

In all fairness, she wasn't too pleased with Setsuna either.

It had all started very innocently, with her being very mature and quiet about the sudden gaping hole of misery in her schedule. She would go about her days without complaining, productively taking out any irritation building up on the temperamental princess. Setsuna had been a little confused by their sudden lack of communicating, but she didn't say anything. She went out of her way to avoid speaking to Tsukuyomi in the first place, so the change in attitude was even appreciated on some level.

That conclusion did not help Tsukuyomi's mood at all.

Instead of limiting herself to bothering the princess, which had a very clear purpose, she started baiting Setsuna just a little. She would have preferred annoying Konoka, since a surprising amount of her frustration was directed at the girl, but at least this way Setsuna couldn't ignore her.

It started small, with her bringing up certain behaviors and actions that were certain to embarrass her Senpai. Just little things like how, most days, she avoided completely looking away from Tsukuyomi when they were getting dressed in the morning. Setsuna's paranoia could be delightfully fun.

Setsuna had carefully kept her temper in check, enduring every remark with a startling level of control and silence.

Then today had happened.

She probably should have expected that bringing up Konoka would immediately turn their heating interaction into a real argument. Setsuna was not rational when it came to her partner.

Tsukuyomi's pencil snapped in two.

Pointing out that _she_ was Setsuna's primary charge now, so it wasn't very proper at all for her to be sneaking off with Konoka so often, probably hadn't been the best idea either. Actually, the slammed door pretty much confirmed that.

They'd never had a real argument before. Usually, Tsukuyomi just wasn't bothered enough to answer Setsuna's temper with her own. Very few things could get under her skin in a way that left her open for provocation. The last time she'd had an argument with someone that wasn't completely one-sided—

Never, maybe?

Tsukuyomi groaned and banged her head into her mattress.

Setsuna could make things so complicated.

Even when they first met, Setsuna just—_being_ Setsuna had caused her problems. Having such delicious prey waiting for her—everything else became stale. She still killed, and she still felt the delirious thrill that came with fighting strong opponents, but Setsuna was always in the back of her mind. The quiet, serious girl who was on fire even when she wasn't bleeding.

Her best possible opponent.

Her favorite.

Tsukuyomi pushed herself off the bed and went over to Setsuna's nest, picking up the shards of her pencil as she moved. The bedding was far from warm by now, but it was still comforting to rest where Setsuna slept.

She tapped the sharpest piece of wood against her wrist thoughtfully.

If she—ignored her argument and otherwise frosty interaction with her Senpai, things were not going badly. The princess had a temper that was more than easy to manipulate, and she didn't like Tsukuyomi in the first place. It wasn't unreasonable to think that she'd start lashing out soon.

And then it would take a little more work to get Asuna using her artifact, but after that, the Seal would be destroyed, and Tsukuyomi would be free to do whatever she wanted. After, of course, saying a proper goodbye to Setsuna.

Oh. But if she wanted that, she'd have to plan things a little more thoroughly. If she stayed, someone would force her to get the stomach wound treated, and if it was a real medic instead of Konoka, they would probably know to check on the Seal, and when they found out it was gone, they would reapply it, and that just really wouldn't work.

And she couldn't say goodbye before the Seal was destroyed because she didn't know when the princess would finally lose it.

Tsukuyomi thought about it for a few seconds.

If it was the injury that would end up causing her trouble, then Asuna was the problem. Her style was still too unrefined to predict easily, so instead of a direct hit, Tsukuyomi would have to force the sword through the Seal from wherever it landed in the first place. That would make the injury too large to ignore.

There wouldn't be a problem if the wound was small enough, but she couldn't expect that kind of accuracy from an enraged girl who didn't realize she was supposed to be aiming at anything. And besides that, Asuna preferred a slashing motion to a stabbing one. Using the princess meant that a large, bloody wound was practically guaranteed.

Did Luna's technique work on artifacts? She couldn't remember. If it did, she could just ask for a favor. Luna was very fond of Negi, but she still felt guilty about betraying her comrades. She could definitely be convinced to help Tsukuyomi.

But what if it didn't work like that? Then she was stuck with using the princess and she'd have to leave the second the Seal broke.

Tsukuyomi prodded her palm with the broken remains of her pencil.

She didn't know what to do.

Maybe she should put everything on hold until she had a better idea.

A shiver ran up her spine. She didn't like that idea much at all. She had practice going uncomfortable lengths of time without the joy of killing someone, but it was getting harder and harder to ignore how cold she was during the day. She needed—and wanted so very badly—to spill someone's blood as soon as possible.

The pencil dug into her hand.

She looked down at it.

It was sharp. Not very, but if she wanted to break the skin, she could.

She didn't want to yet.

Too much pain for too little blood, and she'd probably get a splinter. The pencil really wasn't sharp enough to use properly.

Also, Setsuna might notice. Then the pencil would get taken away, and she'd be in worse shape than she was already in.

Tsukuyomi poked the wood deeper into her hand and looked at the clock by the windowsill.

Forty-five minutes to go.

…She really disliked Konoka.

* * *

"You had a fight?"

"She started it," Setsuna muttered into her tea. Across from her, Konoka was holding back a smile. It made her concerned expression look entirely unconvincing, and Setsuna could feel her cheeks burning. She turned away, pretending to be interested in Evangeline tearing into Negi.

"Did she?"

"_Yes_."

If Tsukuyomi had just kept quiet, things never would have escalated the way they did, and Setsuna wouldn't have to worry about how close to breaking their door was. She didn't think it would take much more abuse, and if it broke, the wards keeping Tsukuyomi in there would break, and she didn't know what Tsukuyomi would do if she was free of her confinement, but that was a horror best not imagined.

"It's hard to imagine Tsukuyomi-san arguing with anyone," Konoka said. "I know she's—very good at irritating people, but it's hard to imagine something bothering her."

Setsuna sipped her tea awkwardly, keeping her eyes on Negi and Evangeline. Negi had really improved. He still wasn't good enough to actually beat his master (thanks in no small part to the severe injuries he'd taken from fighting Fate), but she was no longer holding back when they fought. If anything, since hearing about his adventures with the scroll version of herself, she'd started going out of her way to make sure she was dominating their matches.

"Set-chan?"

"She's not sleeping well either."

Setsuna didn't know why she said that, and if the look on Konoka's meant anything, her partner didn't either. It had next to nothing to do with their argument—it had nothing to do with anything, but she'd still noticed. Anyone would notice, and right now it seemed like—like it mattered. Tsukuyomi's sleep was getting more and more disturbed. Setsuna was shocked that she was still waking up looking so well-rested.

Konoka slid out of her chair and walked around the small table to sit herself on Setsuna's lap and tightly wrap her arms around her partner. Setsuna's eyes widened. Konoka's head was curled into her neck, and Setsuna could feel every warm breath beating against her skin. Her arms automatically rose to hold Konoka closer to her.

"You are though?"

"Um. Yes. I'm much better Kono-chan." Konoka was far too close. Setsuna could barely feel her smile against the raging heat taking over her entire body.

"That's good."

"Y-yeah." Very, very good. With Konoka in her arms like this, it was impossible for something to be not good.

Konoka sighed happily and cuddled closer to Setsuna. "Hey, Set-chan? We should—"

"Konoka!"

They both jumped at the sound of Asuna's voice, and Setsuna had to hold Konoka even tighter to keep the girl from falling off her lap. Konoka smiled gratefully before twisting around to grin tightly at their friend. The expression slid from her face when she looked over Asuna's shoulder. Setsuna followed her gaze to a smoking crater near the pool.

Maybe Evangeline was being a little _too_ rough with Negi.

"Negi-kun!"

Konoka jumped out of Setsuna's lap and rushed towards the crater, drawing out her wand. Her voice echoed around the resort as she lectured the unconcerned vampire in between propping Negi up and trying to comfort the semi-conscious boy. Asuna quickly joined her in reprimanding Evangeline, though she was much louder and more direct about it.

The smoke was clearing, and Negi was starting to sit up on his own, protesting the use of Konoka's magic because the fight wasn't over, and it wasn't fair that he got to be healed in the middle of it. Asuna started yelling at him instead of the diminutive vampire while Konoka pointed out that he shouldn't be taking unnecessary risks during training.

Negi hung his head and agreed with her quietly, all the while trying to stand up on his own and avoid the wand she was waving at him.

Setsuna leaned back in her chair, feeling a smile pull at her lips.

She'd missed this.

* * *

Tsukuyomi leaned over the side of her bed, watching Setsuna sleep.

She looked relaxed.

Happy, almost.

It wasn't fair that she could look that happy in her sleep when they weren't getting along.

Setsuna came back from her time with her friends perfectly willing to forget that they'd ever had an argument. She came back to their room, took Tsukuyomi to class, and didn't say a single word about it. Or anything else.

It wasn't _fair_.

How could she just brush it off like it was nothing?

At least the silence had seemed a little irritated.

And Setsuna did have an extra day to think about things.

Tsukuyomi shivered and pulled her sheets around her more tightly.

Tomorrow, she'd make sure that her Senpai couldn't ignore things.

"Good night, Setsuna-senpai," she whispered.


	7. Day 12

AN: Ah, things are starting to get fun. So very, very fun.

* * *

**Day 12**

* * *

Setsuna had to remind herself every other minute that Tsukuyomi was doing this on purpose. That was the only thing keeping her from unsheathing Yūnagi and teaching her roommate a lesson. Tsukuyomi was only acting like this to bother her.

Unlike yesterday, Tsukuyomi wasn't just acting out because she was irritated—she wanted Setsuna to get angry. She wanted a reaction.

But she wasn't going to get one.

Not when Setsuna _knew_ she was being played with.

Yesterday, Tsukuyomi was upset and taking it out on pretty much anyone she spent time with. For the most part, that meant Setsuna, but Asuna also got thrown into the line of fire. Luckily, Konoka was spared, but as today went on, Setsuna was growing surer by the second that the only thing stopping her was a lack of desire to speak to Konoka.

As convenient as that was, Setsuna wasn't sure how she felt about Tsukuyomi actively disliking Konoka. No matter how powerful her magic was, Konoka was still a beginner, and Tsukuyomi had years of experience and a disregard for human life—any life—that couldn't be matched.

Setsuna's hands shook as she fit her key into her door. She was starting to wish Tsukuyomi would go back to silently moping like she had during the weekend. She didn't particularly like seeing Tsukuyomi that unhappy, but at least then they weren't fighting.

Not that they weren't fighting now. Setsuna was making sure of that. She wasn't going to let Tsukuyomi get to her _again_.

* * *

This was harder than she thought it would be.

Tsukuyomi rested her chin in her hands, watching Setsuna undress.

After yesterday, she'd figured that getting something out of her Senpai would be easy. Setsuna had come back from her time with her friends happier than Tsukuyomi liked, yes, but all of the irritation she felt during their argument couldn't just vanish, could it?

"You really seem to like taking your clothes off when I'm around. Should I take that as a compliment?"

She might have said a little much there. Making Setsuna stop unbuttoning her shirt wasn't a desired effect of the baiting, even if it did get her to turn around.

* * *

"We share a room," Setsuna bit out. "If I could avoid changing around you, I would." And she did. She usually managed to get her uniform on before Tsukuyomi woke up. Really, it was just getting ready for bed and changing into clothes more suited for training that was awkward. It wasn't anything like what she was suggesting.

"Why? You didn't seem to mind bathing with the princess. If anything—"

"You _saw_ that?"

Tsukuyomi's smile was starting to look a little too content for Setsuna's tastes. She hadn't seen the other girl look that—_dreamy_ since—

She really didn't think remembering that would help her control her temper. She could already feel her hands straining for Yūnagi, and it was taking every ounce of restraint she had to keep her ki in check. She'd fought with Tsukuyomi too many times to lose her temper around the girl without it turning into something more violent than she was comfortable with.

"And it's not like I haven't already seen… all of you."

Setsuna buttoned her shirt back up. She could change at the resort.

"Hey, is that why you did it?"

Tsukuyomi looked like what other people might if they discovered the meaning of life.

"Did what?" She should really leave now. She did that yesterday. The door was just a few feet away. She wasn't obligated to answer Tsukuyomi's questions. Or talk to her. Or do anything besides watch her.

Tsukuyomi bounced off the bed and walked over until she was only a couple feet away from Setsuna's face. Her eyes were bright and far, far too innocent.

"Kissed her."

Setsuna's blood went cold.

"That—that has nothing to do with you."

"No?" She was really starting to hate that smile. "I think it might. You only let her talk you into it after we had our fight, and I don't think that went quite the way you wanted it to. It makes sense that you'd want to get stronger after that."

Setsuna's breathing sped up. Her hands moved to grab Yūnagi. She needed her sword if she was leaving.

That wasn't why.

She wouldn't—she _didn't_ kiss Konoka over something that trivial. They had already come close to making a pactio before they left for a Magical World. It would have happened eventually, and—Konoka was the one who started it, not her.

Tsukuyomi took another step forward.

"Be honest now, Setsuna-senpai. When you kissed her, were you thinking of me?"

Setsuna snapped.

* * *

For a thrilling fraction of a second, Tsukuyomi thought that Setsuna might actually kill her. Her blade was drawn, and she moved so fast that she might have been able to cause their teacher some trouble. People who moved like that didn't want anything less than the blood of the one in front of them spraying through the air.

So even though she did want a proper fight from the bottom of her heart, Tsukuyomi couldn't help feeling delighted at the emotion in Setsuna's eyes. After seeing something like that, even if she could never see it again, she thought she might die happy. Any punishment was worth this.

Then the rest of the second passed, and Tsukuyomi remembered—dimly, with the small part of her brain that wasn't fading into ecstasy—that all of the baiting in the world couldn't make Setsuna slaughter someone under her charge.

Heat exploded all over her body as Setsuna tackled her to the carpet, her sword to Tsukuyomi's neck.

And suddenly, that was all Tsukuyomi could feel.

That blazing, burning warmth.

_**Setsuna.**_

Every inch of her body was on fire.

_**I WANT her.**_

She reached out for her ki, wanting nothing more than to have their true battle—one _**without **__Konoka_—and take Setsuna right this second. She _**needed**_ her Senpai. The blood in her veins was burning and her breath was coming in short, exhilarated gasps and she needed to ride the wave of desire before it tore her apart. She _**wanted**_ and _**needed**_ and _**how**_ had she gone without this for so long?

But her ki wasn't answering her call. Tsukuyomi was left clawing at the horrible, wretched Seal that was closed around all of her magical energy.

_No,_ she whimpered. _Why? Whywhywhywhywhywhy__**WHY**_

_**Let **__me__**. **__Just __let me__** PLAY. **__Let__us__have our game._

_Let me rip and tear and take every last inch of her. She is __**MINE**__ and I want her __**NOW**__. Let me__** have her!**_

It wouldn't budge. Why wouldn't it budge? Why couldn't it let her have one small taste? _**Why?**_

Setsuna's grip on her shoulder tightened, and she had to bite her lip to keep from passing out from the thrill of heat the motion sparked. She looked up into the pitch black, golden eyes of her Senpai, shivering with joy.

"You think that baiting me puts you in control?" Setsuna was shaking too. Oh, Tsukuyomi knew that look. She knew it, she knew it, she knew it, and she hoped Setsuna's resolve would give out _soon_. "It doesn't. I'm guarding you. I'm the one in control. It _doesn't_ go the other way, so don't you dare play with me!"

It was deliriously pleasurable, having Setsuna on top of her and saying things like that with her sword so eager for flesh.

_She wants it. She wants it too. __**Now**__, Senpai. Release me from the Seal __**NOW**__ and I can give you exactly what you want. It doesn't matter that I don't have a weapon—I don't need one. I will slice apart your flesh and spill your blood and make you cry out so prettily, and it won't stop until you've—_

It stopped.

The warmth was still there, but—

_No..._

—something cold was flowing in to counteract the marvelous heat that Setsuna was giving off.

Images came, too.

Memories.

She'd seen it before. Setsuna dying.

Briefly, very briefly.

_Kyoto._

And then...

_That feeling. That relief. Because she's alive._

She wanted to fight Setsuna.

But Setsuna dead...

Her mind not even registering that Setsuna was off and running out of the room, slamming the door shut, Tsukuyomi let out a high-pitched wail and jerked herself into a ball, rolling over on the floor.

_Nonononononononononono._

She could feel something in her starting to snap.

_Senpai's blood is always so delicious to look at. __**Always.**_

_I want to see it flowing it needs to be flowing always_

She brought up her hands to her head and clawed at her skull, crying out when that did absolutely nothing to relieve the pressure building in her thoughts.

It hurt. That area in her chest was pounding relentlessly with each and every thought of her Setsuna dying.

But she still _**wanted**_. The thrill from earlier was still there, and the only way to relieve it was to shred Setsuna's body to pieces, sending that burning blood erupting all over the room, drenching her clothes in gore—

_**NO**_

_Not Setsuna not Setsuna not Setsuna_

_**ANYONE **__but her_

Her ears rang with the echoes of the screams her past victims hadn't been able to stifle. It was harmonious, and Setsuna's were part of the symphony, but...

There was an odd stinging in her eyes that she couldn't identify. Tsukuyomi bowed her head and curled further into herself. Strange, alien noises were coming from her throat and her glasses were fogging up.

_I want the satisfaction. Give me the satisfaction. Let me take her. Let me__** kill**__—_

_**NOTSETSUNA**_

Tsukuyomi dragged her fingers across her scalp, digging them as far into her skin as she possibly could and rolling over so she could bash her head into the floor.

The pain was good. The pain that wasn't in her chest or head or stomach was good.

She thought she might be screaming. Her throat hurt now too. And every part of her was starting to feel cold and shaky.

_I—I can't._

She wanted Setsuna back here.

_But I can kill anyone—any body is just a vessel meant for me to dispose of; Setsuna is the sam—_

She wanted her Senpai's warmth back.  
_**  
**__But I__** can't.**_

_I can't. I can't kill her. I __**can't**__._

Her chest and head throbbed painfully.

..._Why?

* * *

_

Setsuna went down two flights of stairs before she could bring herself to think about what just happened. The look in Tsukuyomi's eyes before she came to her senses…

She'd scared Tsukuyomi.

The girl who had ripped her clothes off and pinned her to a rooftop, promising to have _fun_ with her—was scared.

Because of something she did.

_Impressive,_ her thoughts whispered.

Setsuna felt her still-shaking legs give out.

She was disgusted with herself.

What had she been thinking? Letting Tsukuyomi get to her like that when she knew that was what the murderess wanted?

_Killer, she hasn't murdered anyone in a long time._

Setsuna felt herself fish her phone out of her jacket and text Mana. She didn't think it was a good idea for Tsukuyomi to be in class right now. It wasn't a good idea for her either. Neither of them was going to manage being around people properly. Tsukuyomi had enough trouble with that normally, and Setsuna…

_I'm not like her. I'm __**not**__._

Her whole body was still shaking.

_What_ had she been thinking?

* * *

Mana was leaning against the door of their room when Setsuna finally remembered that she was only allowed to be away from Tsukuyomi for an hour a day, and if she spent any more time sitting in the stairwell her hour was going to be more than up.

"Do I want to know why my roommates are going to be missing their afternoon classes?"

"No." _Probably._ "I just—we sort of had a fight, and I don't think Tsukuyomi should really be around other students when she's—and, well, you know, I'm supposed to watch her at all times, so I have to stay with her."

"That certainly explains why you're almost half an hour late getting back to our room."

Setsuna shuffled her feet awkwardly. "Yes, well… You'll tell Negi-sensei, right?"

Mana eyed the straining grip Setsuna had on her sword. "I suppose. I'm adding the half-hour I spent watching our room to your tab though. Like you said, _you're_ supposed to watch her at all times. It's not my job."

"I know." Though Setsuna was really starting to wish that the headmaster had chosen someone else—anyone else—for this job_._ No one else would have lost it with Tsukuyomi. Everyone except Asuna could brush the girl's comments off like they were nothing, but she couldn't—

"…Thanks, Tatsumiya." Setsuna got out her key and shoved it in the lock, mentally preparing herself for whatever state she would find Tsukuyomi in.

"A word of advice Setsuna?"

Setsuna looked up. She doubted that any sort of advice would help her with her roommate, but if anyone had an idea of how to deal with someone like Tsukuyomi, it would probably be Mana.

"Anything."

"Let it go."

"Wha—?"

Mana cut off Setsuna's confused response with a wave of her hand. "I don't know what happened between you two, and I'm sure I don't want to know, but between the way you act around her and Kagurazaka's ranting, it's obvious that there's more going on than a simple rivalry. But holding a grudge against a person like her doesn't work. She'll never understand that she did something wrong, so there's no point being upset about it. You'll only frustrate yourself into getting into situations like this. If you want to be an effective guard, get over it."

With that, Mana turned around and left.

Setsuna banged her head against the very worn-out door.

She should have just said no when the headmaster asked for her help.

She pushed open the door and walked in, bracing herself. She didn't think Tsukuyomi would want to start their fight up again, but if Tsukuyomi was going to be afraid of her… She didn't want that. She didn't like having Tsukuyomi scared.

But it looked like she'd have to wait until later to find out what her roommate thought of her.

Tsukuyomi was asleep on the floor, curled up in a very tight ball and shivering on top of Setsuna's bedding.

Setsuna barely contained a sigh of relief. She stepped forward cautiously, keeping her breathing light and steady. She walked around to get a good look at Tsukuyomi's face.

_Are those… was she crying?_

The little part of Setsuna that was still upset shriveled up and died. She bit her lip and kneeled down to take off Tsukuyomi's glasses. With Tsukuyomi's sleeping habits, the lenses would probably end up broken if they stayed on.

Setsuna carefully placed the glasses on the bed after pulling the sheets off and wrapping them over Tsukuyomi. The girl didn't look like she'd be waking up any time soon, thank goodness. If she was as exhausted as she looked, there was a chance that Setsuna could put off any confrontation they might have until tomorrow.

Setsuna went back to the doorway and collapsed on the floor.

_Nicely done.

* * *

_

"_Eishun-sama… there's a girl… a blonde girl with glasses… at the bottom of the tower… she needs healing… please help her. Please, Eishun-sama… Don't let her die."_


	8. Day 17

**Just to make it perfectly clear, this is a flashback chapter. The official chapter title edited out the minus sign.**

AN: Sorry about the delay. Suffice to say, I've been incredibly sick. And this chapter involves just about every single thing I'm horrible at writing. Apologies for that as well. Also, since this is Setsuna and Tsukuyomi's story, certain things aren't really covered the way they'd be in a different story. If that makes any sense.

* * *

**Day -17**

* * *

Tsukuyomi spun Fate's head around on her finger.

She liked Fate-han. Really, she did. As far as employers went, he was the most agreeable one she'd had the pleasure of serving. She considered most of his plans far too complicated, but since her only concern was keeping the opposition from sabotaging his grand ideas, that was just fine. And the large scale meant that they had quite a bit of opposition.

If only he didn't insist on keeping her restrained, this job would be a dream come true.

He did, though. More overly complicated reasoning she didn't care for. As adorable as his little infatuation with dear Negi-kun was, it was probably a good thing he was only now starting to act truly human. Otherwise he would have been irresistible to her, and in general she disapproved of fighting with one's employer.

In general. When one's employer was insisting on ignoring his own humanity, the only proper thing to do was to chop some sense into him.

And hadn't that worked so delightfully? Her hair might take a while to grow back, but at least now Fate-han couldn't deny that he had a heart, and that heart was longing for Negi-kun's blood.

Still…

_This is boring._

Tsukuyomi tossed Fate's head up in the air, catching it on the tip of her sword. She could feel the blood shooting through her veins, the adrenaline from her earlier skirmish buzzing under her skin. She did not want to be sitting at the bottom of some tower. She wanted to be outside spreading as much carnage as possible.

Unfortunately, that course of action had been ruled a poor use of her time. Instead, Fate wanted her to _wait_ for their friends to show up. Because they would. That was how good little heroes were supposed to behave, wasn't it? And of course, their opponents were nothing if not good.

Right now, that was an annoying trait. It guaranteed their presence here _soon_.

Fate-han was pleased with that. It allowed him to set things up to his liking.

Tsukuyomi was… not good at being patient. Following Setsuna—and the princess of course—for weeks without being able to touch her was by far the hardest thing she had ever done. Waiting in an empty chamber for her victims to arrive was not something she took any pleasure in.

But she did have some self-control. She could force herself to wait if that was what Fate asked of her. She was nothing if not a good, loyal employee. And unlike last time, she wasn't being told to keep from touching the prize right in front of her eyes. This wasn't nearly as difficult.

She flipped Fate's head up in the air a few more times, doing a very good job of ignoring the quiet energy building up in her head and hands. She could feel herself wanting. She wanted to leave the quiet tower and find Negi and his companions. Negi-kun was off limits, but the others… their absence from the field of battle would only make Fate's partners feel less important. That was hardly a concern.

She could kill them. Their delicate little bodies would fall the second she penetrated their smooth, unmarred flesh. They were all so weak—it would be so simple to run her blades over their bodies, stripping them of flesh and letting their blood run free.

It could even be counted as helping Fate-han; Negi-kun would react beautifully when he saw—

Only she was ignoring that. Because even though she undoubtedly knew how to handle Fate's infatuation with Negi better than he did, he cared quite a bit about doing things in the most complicated way possible. It wouldn't be very nice to keep him from dealing with Negi the way he wanted to.

After all, if someone tried to interfere with her relationship with her senpai, she wouldn't be very happy at all. There were some things that simply weren't done.

Oh, and Fate had problems with her killing real people. She couldn't imagine why, but that probably meant that disobeying orders to go slaughter a bunch of silly teenage girls would not be met with much gratitude.

Leaving her stuck here.

Tsukuyomi moved Fate's head down to her foot and kicked it a few times. Their guests were taking forever to arrive. This wasn't any fun.

Then the front door exploded.

_Ah! That's more like it!

* * *

_

Setsuna thought she was prepared to meet their opponents in combat. Training had improved her skills enough that the odds of anything like her last disgraceful match happening were close to zero. She was strong, and more than willing to give it her all against Fate's group. If anything, she was a little too willing.

Earlier, she had wondered a little if she should ask Negi to let her fight Tsukuyomi. He had his own grudge to settle with Fate, didn't he? He should be able to understand how badly she wanted to have a proper duel with the girl. And… someone would have to fight Tsukuyomi. Putting in a request beforehand wasn't such a big deal, right?

Only it was. She had to remember her place.

No matter how badly she wanted revenge (or just wanted to hurt the insufferable girl), she was first and foremost Konoka's partner and a loyal member of the Ala Alba. All she should care about was getting everyone home safely. Next to that, fighting Tsukuyomi was supposed to be a low priority. It was only as important as defeating the rest of Fate's group.

She could feel all that logic slipping away when they charged into the tower and saw Tsukuyomi waiting for them.

The girl had lost a lot of her hair since their last meeting. Setsuna wasn't entirely sure how intentional that was—she saw scorch marks, but for all she knew, Tsukuyomi liked cutting her hair in the most dangerous way possible.

And—she looked excited. Her eyes were bright and happy as she took in the collection of fighters she was probably already considering her victims. A chaotic grin decorated her face, and the whites of her eyes were already going dark.

Then her gaze fell on Setsuna. The change in expression was small, but she still saw it. Tsukuyomi's grin widened to one of true pleasure instead of just excitement, and Setsuna was sure the bloodlust wasn't the only thing responsible for her darkening eyes anymore.

Setsuna felt every single reason she had against fighting Tsukuyomi alone fall to pieces in her mind. This was her enemy. _Hers._

And more than anything, she wanted to fight her.

* * *

It wasn't just Setsuna standing there; she knew that. She caught sight of the rest briefly. The rest of the fighters—and Konoka too, if her peripheral vision wasn't failing her—were there, though they were currently frozen for some mysterious reason.

But Tsukuyomi's eyes immediately found Setsuna's. Her Senpai's.

And then she simply couldn't look away. She found her desire to rip Negi's other companions to shred fading quickly into the back of her mind.

This was her. This was the one.

As long as she had this opponent, she didn't care what anyone else did. Setsuna was the only one she wanted. And _oh_ how she wanted her. Right now, she couldn't even find it in her to care about her role in Fate's plan.

Someone had fixed her Setsuna-senpai.

There was nothing of the hesitance Tsukuyomi had half-expected to have to slice out of Setsuna. There was only hardened determination and a hot rage that left Tsukuyomi breathless.

That clarity—that delicious expression of emotion—wasn't something Setsuna would allow herself to feel unless someone went out of their way to fix her. Her senpai was so cautious—even when they first met, she was so controlled… But now…

Tsukuyomi felt a little lightheaded.

Of course, then someone just had to ruin the moment and remind her that they weren't alone.

* * *

"Fate-sama!"

Setsuna jerked her head to look at Shiori, who was supposed to still be acting like Asuna. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tsukuyomi react the same way. And Negi—Negi looked horrified.

For a second she didn't know what the problem was. Then she caught the movement around Tsukuyomi's foot and realized that Negi and Shiori had a very good reason to be upset.

* * *

"What did you do to Fate-sama?"

Tsukuyomi blinked at the enraged girl. It seemed that the only thing keeping her from doing something foolish was the grip an annoyed-looking gunslinger had on her shoulders.

"Luna-chan, you're not doing a very good job of keeping yourself a secret." Not that anyone seemed especially surprised by her outburst, but that probably just meant that she did a really, _really_ bad job of keeping herself a secret.

The girl shook her head, clearly wanting to say something, but Negi beat her to it.

"Tsukuyomi-san," he said shakily, "I was under the impression that you and Fate were on the same side. Why—why did you—"

Tsukuyomi rolled her eyes and threw Fate's head into the air, bisecting it on its way down. Shiori cried out and Negi's face paled even further. Konoka also looked vaguely disturbed, but thankfully the ninja, gunslinger, and her senpai were reacting more sensibly.

In fact, Setsuna had the most interesting expression on her face.

"You don't have to worry, Negi-kun. I only removed his arm, and that should be reattached by now. You two will get to have your fun."

"Then—what exactly—"

"Negi-sensei."

* * *

So that really was all there was to it. She just enjoyed fighting that much. There was no deeper meaning behind it; that was just the way she was.

If that was the case… Setsuna was almost relieved. No matter how disgusting her motives were, this really was the best place for her. This was where she could help her friends the most. The last thing they needed was a powerful, crazed swordswoman with no clear allegiance running around. Setsuna didn't want to think about the trouble the other girl could cause if she decided things weren't interesting enough for her here.

And… she wouldn't use the Code of the Lifemaker this way. It wouldn't be sporting.

"You need to be going to fight Fate and rescue Asuna-san now, Negi-sensei. You can't afford to waste time here. I'll take care of her."

Negi turned abruptly to stare at Setsuna. "Are you sure, Setsuna-san?" he asked quietly, eyes drifting back to the perversely cheerful girl. "She's—there's something not right about her." He sounded almost guilty saying it.

Setsuna smiled tightly. "It's fine, Sensei. I'm the best match for her, so right now, I can help you most if I stay here and fight her. And besides…" She looked up at her enemy. Yes, Tsukuyomi's eyes were glowing with anticipation. "She won't cause any trouble as long as she has me here to satisfy her, isn't that right Tsukuyomi?"

* * *

Tsukuyomi laughed—she couldn't help it.

How wonderful.

Setsuna _understood_.

She brought her kodachi up to her mouth and ran her tongue over the edge. She could all but _taste _Setsuna's blood on it. How delicious it would be. The raw _heat_ that would come from that… "Of course, Setsuna-senpai. Since you've gotten over that adorable bout of childishness, you're definitely the only one I want."

How cute, Konoka seemed to react very poorly to that comment. And Setsuna wasn't happy about it either. Her pactio card was already in her hand. Yūnagi had been out to begin with.

The fun gunslinger girl chuckled and tightened her arm around a very disgruntled Luna. "Well then, we should be moving on, shouldn't we Sensei?"

With one last look at Setsuna, Negi nodded. Good. He wasn't going to be unreasonable about things. Tsukuyomi would have hated to have to injure him before Fate had his way with the boy.

Now… now she could really have her fun. No one was going to interrupt them this time.

"Konoka-dono, you're not coming?"

* * *

Konoka smiled back at Kaede and moved so that she was standing in front of Setsuna. "I think I should stay with Set-chan."

Mana shook her head, shifting her gaze between Shiori and Tsukuyomi. "You sure about that, Konoe?"

Konoka nodded happily. "I'm here because all of you could get hurt, but I can't help if I'm left defenseless. All of the people we'll be fighting are a lot stronger than I am. Set-chan's the only one who's used to fighting and protecting me at the same time, and Negi-kun can summon me when I'm needed."

Setsuna tore her eyes away from Tsukuyomi, cold, miserable dread building up in her stomach.

"Ojou-sama, no. It's dangerous."

If she'd had her way, Konoka would have stayed with their other companions; not entirely safe, but a great deal safer than she was now. Setsuna wasn't about to put her in more danger by keeping her anywhere near Tsukuyomi. The girl was too dangerous for anyone to be safe around her. And Tsukuyomi already had too many reasons to pay Konoka extra attention.

Konoka smiled at her. "No it's not. You promised to protect me, didn't you?"

"Yes, but—"

"And besides that," Konoka continued, "you aren't just my bodyguard, Set-chan. You're my partner. I should be with you when you're in danger."

* * *

Tsukuyomi thought she might be able to appreciate Fate's problems a little more right now. His horribly complicated plans depended on a million different things going right, and could come undone if just one thing went wrong.

Meanwhile, her plans were simple little things—that could still go very, very wrong if the wrong thing happened at the wrong time.

And… and…

_Partners? When did that happen?_

Suddenly the world wasn't so happy and bright. Konoka's little revelation was accompanied by the painfully obvious melting of Setsuna's resolve and—that just wasn't _fair_. The stage was set, the pieces were in place, and then that _girl_ just waltzed in and corrupted it all.

Did she even realize the magnitude of what she just destroyed?

Tsukuyomi could feel the little self-control she'd managed starting to die.

She thought she might like to murder the Konoe girl.

* * *

Setsuna barely managed to get in front of Konoka before Tsukuyomi attempted to slice off her partner's head.

The blonde's blades clashed against Yūnagi, pushing Setsuna several feet back and practically knocking Konoka over. Setsuna's arms shook under the force Tsukuyomi put behind her swing.

Tsukuyomi wasn't playing this time. She would have killed Konoka. Worse, it seemed like she wanted to.

Setsuna hadn't had a chance to see Tsukuyomi angry before. And—she wasn't—it wasn't really anger. But there was something wrong with her expression. That level of irritation just didn't fit on Tsukuyomi's face.

This was bad.

"Ojou-sama," Setsuna said softly, not daring to look away from Tsukuyomi, "stay if you have to." She pretty much did, at this point. Their friends had already left, and Setsuna wasn't about to let Konoka wander the tower alone. "But don't interfere. I need you to promise that no matter what happens, you'll let this be between me and her. You need to stay out of the way."

"Set-chan—"

"Kono-chan, _please._" Tsukuyomi's sword was starting to slide down Yūnagi—if Setsuna had to stay here much longer, she'd lose a hand. She needed to be able to move.

"Okay," Konoka whispered. Setsuna barely kept herself from letting her muscles slack in relief. Now, time to make Tsukuyomi remember that this duel only involved them.

She released Yūnagi from the hold Tsukuyomi's blades had created and stepped to the side, ducking around the sudden flurry of steel aiming to remove one of her limbs and slipping her pactio card into her hand.

"Adeat! Takemikazuchi!"

* * *

It would have been nice to laugh at Setsuna's chosen outfit. The second that glorious sword came into her hands, fabric Tsukuyomi recognized from her years at the Shinmeiryuu dojo materialized in place of Setsuna's usual clothes.

She was so attached to that school. If Tsukuyomi had enjoyed her time at the place more, she might have appreciated it a little. It was cute that her senpai had such a sense of belonging to an organization that officially considered her a traitor. Or maybe if Setsuna just wasn't using a card representing her—

_No._

_I don't think I care to think about that anymore._

It was bad enough that she hadn't held back her desire to murder Konoka at the start of the duel.

_It isn't going to ruin my fun._ _Not when Setsuna-senpai is so eager to play with me._ Tsukuyomi glanced over at where Konoka had chosen to move for a second. Then she looked back at Setsuna, full of fire and already trying to land a decisive blow.

Yes… Definitely. She could manage it. It wasn't even a matter of holding back; Setsuna was the only one she wanted. Next to her, murdering a slight annoyance was meaningless. Murder was such a distasteful pastime after all. …And Tsukuyomi couldn't deny her senpai when she was making her intent so clear.

Besides, if she won, she could do whatever she wanted to the innocent Konoe heir.

_Yes, that will do nicely. And until then—_Tsukuyomi dodged the pretty new sword's blade to avoid losing an ear and slashed her sword low, aiming for Setsuna's legs—_Until then, I will have Setsuna-senpai. All of her, if I care to._

Setsuna easily evaded the low swipe and matched it by bringing down Yūnagi _hard_ against Tsukuyomi's sword, driving the point into the stone floor. For a fraction of a second, it stayed stuck there. The slight halt in the flow of Tsukuyomi's movements created a small opportunity for Setsuna to slice her artifact upward, aiming to slash through Tsukuyomi's abdomen.

_Simple simple simple—but she's trying to kill me now. _Good_._

Takemikazuchi slammed into her kodachi.

_But I wonder why_

_Something doesn't feel quite right._

_Is it not the same expression?_

_Yes… that hesitance is back._

She followed the quick flicker in Setsuna's eyes and sighed in disappointment as she dodged the slow swipe meant to slash across her face.

Then she thought about it a little and grinned.

Motivation was not murder.

* * *

This fight felt so much different than their last one.

Just like before, Tsukuyomi was matching every strike she made, but the force behind the blows was so different. It was one thing to know that the blonde wasn't playing around this time, but it was quite another to feel it. Tsukuyomi was aiming to kill this time.

Setsuna felt her eyes drift subconsciously over to where Konoka was before she dragged her attention back to the fight.

This wasn't good. With Konoka here—

_She's safest here. She's safest with me. But right now, I'm not safe with her._

The thought almost distracted her badly enough that she didn't hear Tsukuyomi start to talk.

"I have to say, I'm happy that you got yourself fixed since last time."

Setsuna gritted her teeth against the gentle teasing in Tsukuyomi's tone. So maybe there was still some playfulness that it was impossible for the psychopath to control. She couldn't say it was surprising, but if the girl could get any stronger—

"But still…" Tsukuyomi attempted to spin around so that she had a clear shot at Setsuna's back, but Setsuna ducked and mimicked the spin so they were still facing each other properly. She didn't like the carnal grin that lit up those eyes.

Tsukuyomi jerked forward, thrusting with her sword and moving to slash her kodachi across Setsuna's legs. Setsuna blocked with some difficulty, but she still managed to keep from Tsukuyomi getting anywhere close to spilling her blood.

"It's just not the same. If I didn't know better, I'd say you didn't want to fight me. That's not the right attitude at all, Senpai. "

"I'm not like you, Tsukuyomi. Fighting like this isn't something I enjoy." It was something she wanted with a fervor that wasn't anything approaching proper or healthy, but that didn't mean she was enjoying it.

A small, happy smile spread across Tsukuyomi's face and she spun around again, this time trying to shred through Setsuna's torso with all the subtlety of a wrecking ball instead of attempting to get behind her.

"…Right," she whispered. She didn't let up on her attack for even an instant. "You just want to protect her. You'd fight until your last breath to protect her, wouldn't you?"

"Of course!" That was never even a question.

"So. Protect her from me!"

Suddenly, Tsukuyomi wasn't there anymore. Setsuna's eyes widened and she automatically looked over at Konoka. Her body started moving before she even realized that Tsukuyomi was speeding towards her partner.

_**No!**_

"Zanmaken Ni no Tachi!"

* * *

Maybe it was a little unfair, using that technique. It pretty much guaranteed a hit of some sort. No matter what, Setsuna's precious Ojou-sama would end up a bloody mess in one way or another. Setsuna could keep the girl alive if she really pushed herself, but not unharmed.

Tsukuyomi thought that she might not really mind if Setsuna didn't manage to rescue the other girl, but she carefully didn't dwell on that too much. The point here was to motivate Setsuna, not to kill the girl.

There just might be happy side effects that didn't involve Setsuna abandoning her hesitance. That was all.

She slashed down with her sword, looking forward to the anguished cries that would exit Konoka's delectable throat as her blood was scattered to the winds—but mostly awaiting how Setsuna's fury would show itself. She would not enjoy seeing her precious partner wounded.

Tsukuyomi grinned, thinking only of the pleasure that awaited her—

When her blade hit flesh unexpectedly soon and the hottest, tastiest blood she had ever felt splashed across her face.

And…

_Feathers?_

Setsuna was standing before her, only inches in front of Konoka.

Tsukuyomi stared, nearly losing her grip on her sword.

Her sword that was gouged a good couple of inches into her Senpai's left shoulder. The arm was hanging on by a thread.

But the blood—the blood—

Feathers were drifting slowly to the stone floor.

Setsuna's left wing was sliced almost completely through.

_How—that isn't supposed to be possible. Blocking the Zanmaken Ni no Tachi…_

Tsukuyomi felt dizzy. The heat of the blood—of _Setsuna_—was enveloping her.

Setsuna was looking straight at her, a good deal of blood splattered on her cheek. And—

_That's the expression._

_That's the Senpai I want._

_Still… _how_?_

"You said… as long as I'm human, I can't beat you, right?" Setsuna was breathing evenly; it was almost like she hadn't felt the sword cutting into her wing and flesh. "Well. I'm not. So even if it kills me, I _will_ beat you."

_She's not… is… could it really work like that?_

Shivers of euphoria went up Tsukuyomi's spine. The whites of Setsuna's eyes were now pitch-black, and her irises were the deepest shade of gold Tsukuyomi had ever seen.

"And anyone who dares to harm my partner… I _**slice**_!"

* * *

She couldn't feel her arm. Or her wing. Both were completely numb. Takemikazuchi felt soft in her hand.

With a violent jerk she moved the entire left side of her body so that her artifact crashed into Tsukuyomi's kodachi, shattering it and the girl's attempt at blocking in one blow. Her blood splashed across the stone floor.

Tsukuyomi was laughing. The damn girl was _laughing._

"There we go. Now Senpai… Setsuna-senpai… shall you satisfy me properly?"

Setsuna felt her breathing get heavier. She put away her artifact—she could feel her wing a little now. She would lose too much blood if she kept on fighting with her left arm. And if she had to pick only one weapon, against Tsukuyomi, she needed to use the one she was most familiar with. She retracted her wings, barely noticing the shooting pain that went through her back.

"Set-chan! Are you—!"

"I'm fine, Kono-chan." Setsuna spared a second to look back at her partner. She tried to smile, but her facial muscles weren't working properly. "Don't worry. No matter what, I'll protect you."

She was sure Konoka said something in response to that, but she couldn't hear it. In her eyes, her opponent was all that was visible. Tsukuyomi and the pure, focused rage she inspired were the only things Setsuna could be aware of.

It was starting up again. Tsukuyomi's casual, vicious rhythm. Faster this time.

Something was boiling in her blood.

This girl used Shinmeiryuu techniques without a second thought. She never once stopped to consider that she might not have the right to use them. Someone like her…

Setsuna didn't think much of herself. She was Eishun's servant—Konoka's bodyguard and partner. Only the last one implied any true worth.

But.

Without a doubt, she was better than Tsukuyomi.

"Shinmeiryuu Ougi: Zanmaken Ni no Tachi!"

* * *

Tsukuyomi felt the most delightful, burning agony tearing across her stomach, splitting her open.

Pain.

It had been too long since she'd felt it. Too many battles against opponents who didn't know what they were doing. And in Fate's case, he preferred not to harm his subordinates.

Blood—her somewhat chilly blood—was spread all across her abdomen.

_I wonder if this was her first time doing that._

Tsukuyomi wanted, very badly, to laugh again, but if she did that, the wound would split open so badly that their fight would end prematurely.

This was definitely it.

This glorious rush that only Setsuna could truly inspire in her. She could feel heat all around her—begging for Setsuna's speedy movements to hurry up and try to slice into her again.

_I want her._

_I'll have every inch of her covered in blood before the end of this._

_I will take all of her._

Setsuna's sword met hers again and again, each time clashing hard enough to send sparks hopping across the floor.

More and more blood was spilling down Setsuna's arm. Trails of it went all the way down to her fingertips, dripping on the floor.

Tsukuyomi's eyes were starting to glaze over. Her head was going foggy with pleasure.

She was definitely going to win this.

She was going to win against her Senpai when Setsuna was at her best.

She would bathe in that hot blood.

_Where next, where next?_

_Stomach's good—keeping it even is good._

Setsuna was still thinking properly too. She still looked like she was ready to kill.

_Excellent._

Tsukuyomi stepped forward—smiling, and ready to feel her Setsuna-senpai's blood splashing over her once again.

Of course, for them, nothing could ever be that blissfully simple.

* * *

Setsuna really couldn't say what happened. One second she was aiming to slice through Tsukuyomi's chest, and the next she was collapsed on the cool floor, blood seeping into the cracks. And light was spilling into the chamber. Where did the light come from?

Her ears were ringing.

_I can't… feel… anything._

Were those… demons?

* * *

Tsukuyomi heard a very loud crack as her head smashed into the wall.

_Who blew up the room?_

She shook her head a few times and tried to stand up. Honestly. What idiot decided that it would be okay to interfere with her duel with Setsuna? She pressed a hand against the wall and pushed herself up.

An interruption.

_Again_.

She collapsed on the floor.

Tsukuyomi blinked and looked at her hand.

Blood.

Hers or Setsuna's?

She blinked again. Her hand was moving around very oddly along with the room.

And it was cold. Odd. She was pretty sure she could feel blood dripping down her side and stomach. She shouldn't be feeling any cold at all.

She tried to stand up again, but for some reason none of her muscles were working properly.

The room was still spinning, too.

She thought she heard someone shouting outside—oh dear. Was that Kurt? That was no good.

Oh… and her vision was starting to go black.

It was over then?

How was that fair?

Moving her head carefully to look around the swimming room, she looked for Setsuna.

Her senpai was trying to push herself off the floor. Her sweet blood was dripping down her forehead and chest. And her arm was still a mess.

Huh. So she got her hit in after all. Not anywhere close to where she was aiming, but a solid shot. Where did her sword go? It would have that delicious blood on it.

Wait… she got her hit in. So did that mean—?

Tsukuyomi looked down.

Yes, she was most definitely hurt. Besides the stomach wound, there seemed to be a very deep cut running from her shoulder down to her leg.

And Setsuna was standing up now. Still bleeding profusely (how lovely was that?), but standing. Alive and relatively well.

Well, that settled that.

_I lose._

Some strange peaceful feeling was settling in her chest, but she ignored it. More black spots were showing up in her vision. And unless she was imagining things, things were exploding at the top of the tower now too.

_Fate-han…_

Konoka was running over to Setsuna now. Tsukuyomi pulled herself up unsteadily.

_I think I might owe Fate-han. And Konoka-sama has interfered more than enough.

* * *

_

"Set-chan! It's okay, I'll heal you! You'll be okay!"

Konoka ran over to Setsuna and caught her just before she fell over again. Setsuna blinked blearily at her partner, smiling as much as she could. Somehow the world seemed a lot lighter and cloudier. And just plain _better_ since Tsukuyomi was crushed against a wall.

Though the ringing in her ears didn't seem to be leaving. Her entire vision was red. Too much blood was running down her face. The only thing keeping her standing was probably Konoka.

_Am I… dying?_

_And…_

Explosions. She could hear explosions at the top of the tower.

_I'm dead and people are still fighting. Negi-sensei… is stronger than I am. So…_

Setsuna took a deep breath and pulled herself as far away from Konoka as her beaten body would allow. "Ojou-sama, don't! I'm fine—you don't need to waste your magic on me."

Konoka's eyes flashed dangerously. "Set-chan, you're bleeding too much! I need to heal you before—"

"Kono-chan, _please_!" She didn't have the energy to argue about this. "Negi-sensei is the one who needs you right now, not me, so—Tsukuyomi what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Tsukuyomi had somehow managed to get behind Konoka and jab the hilt of her sword into Konoka's neck. The healer's eyes widened for an instant before she fell into Setsuna's arms, unconscious.

Setsuna's entire body came close to breaking down at the extra weight. As if she really needed another reason to want to kill Tsukuyomi. She glared up at the girl, dearly wishing that her sword was back in her hands. Tsukuyomi was swaying too badly to cause any serious damage, but…

_She still hurt Kono-chan._

_And I can't do anything about it. _There was no way. Her body was a wreck. Tsukuyomi enjoyed this type of thing—even if she was worse off than Setsuna, she was still better prepared for a fight._ Damn it!

* * *

_

Tsukuyomi stuck out her tongue.

"Losing… I don't think it was… part of my contract." Actually, she didn't have a contract. Fate had determined the terms of her service verbally. Huh. Too bad she was dying. She would have liked to ask Fate about that. But she was pretty sure he would have preferred her victory. "Even with Kurt-kun… I think I was supposed to win. So… I owe Fate-han. A… healed Negi-kun… since Fate-han… wants to fight him so badly… that would make us even."

An apology of sorts. He deserved to indulge his infatuation.

Setsuna's glare lost some of its edge. "You didn't have to be so rough."

Tsukuyomi laughed, coughing up a great deal of blood. "It… won't… even bruise." Well it might. Maybe. She didn't think she'd be around for Setsuna-senpai to yell at later, so it didn't really matter.

Troublesome. She almost wished she could stay alive just so she could get her revenge on Kurt for not being a little more subtle about his own fights.

But… this wasn't a bad ending.

She knelt down on the floor, too tired to keep standing. She looked up at her precious Senpai. A happy peacefulness washed over her.

"Senpai? Try… not to die. You're… cuter… alive."

She stayed conscious just long enough to see Setsuna's eyes widen. Then she let herself fall fully onto the floor.

Yes. This certainly wasn't a bad death.

* * *

_Get her to Negi-sensei. Get her to Negi-sensei. Get her to Negi-sensei. I need to get her to Negi-sensei._

Setsuna ran up the tower with Konoka in her arms. Her breathing was uneven and she could feel the blood spilling out of her wounds. She'd tried to bandage them as best she could, but the slashes Tsukuyomi had torn into her body were too deep. She was only delaying the inevitable.

And the running—was not—helping.

Setsuna looked down at Konoka. Her eyes weren't focusing properly, but she could still see her partner's face.

_Kono-chan… I'm sorry.

* * *

_

"Setsuna-kun!"

Setsuna felt someone wrap their arms around her, keeping her from breaking against the ground. She'd only had enough—only enough to hand Konoka off to Mana.

She was right—Negi was hurt. She'd made the right call. Konoka might be upset about it, but if Negi lost, they would all die. Setsuna wasn't about to let her friends suffer just because she was too weak to handle Tsukuyomi without getting herself killed.

_Tsukuyomi… huh._

She was probably close to death right about now.

That—that was—the point, wasn't it?

Setsuna could still feel it. That all-consuming anger that wanted Tsukuyomi dead.

Was that really appropriate right now?

If Konoka hadn't been knocked out, she definitely would have healed—

_And now she's bleeding to death at the bottom of a collapsing tower._

Setsuna opened her eyes and tried to focus on the face swimming above her.

_It hurts. Lying on the floor and watching your blood fill the cracks…_

"Setsuna-kun, you're going to be all right, I promise."

_Eishun-sama? How is he here?_

"I've got you, it's okay."

"Eishun-sama…" She shouldn't be asking for favors from her boss. Especially something like this. But…

_That girl… damn it._

"There's a girl… a blonde girl with glasses… at the bottom of the tower… she needs healing… please help her. Please, Eishun-sama… Don't let her die."

She didn't like it. It was different somehow. She didn't mind killing the girl. But letting her bleed to death all alone… that was wrong.

She didn't want Tsukuyomi to die like that.


	9. Day 14

AN: This chapter brings up events from the prequel, so if you haven't read that, you might want to do so now.

* * *

**Day 14**

* * *

The room kept getting colder.

Tsukuyomi rolled over and pressed her face into her pillow.

No, no, that wasn't really it. That wasn't it at all. The room had never been pleasant. It was just as bad now as it always was.

Her tolerance for it had just gone down.

No fun. No fun or fair at all. This was all very bad.

Setsuna had disappeared before she woke up, so that wasn't helping either. Not that things would be any more comfortable with her around, but it would at least be warmer. That was one thing that her senpai's recent oddness around her couldn't change.

Tsukuyomi could feel her head starting to ache.

Setsuna.

She had gotten out of talking to her roommate about their little altercation because her senpai was just as keen on avoiding discussing what happened as she was, but that didn't matter much. Her problem was not with Setsuna.

Her problem was, yet again, with how Setsuna made her feel. What she made her feel.

Being happy when her senpai wasn't dead was one thing. One very, very strange thing, but not such a huge deal. Just a little odd. A fun mystery to keep in mind while she was stuck at Mahora.

But this—this was so much different.

In all her life, Tsukuyomi had never had a problem with killing. It was enjoyable, kept her from being cold, and most importantly, it was _fun_. The moral dilemmas so many otherwise skilled fighters faced had never been an obstacle for her. She loved killing far too much to come up with silly, superficial reasons for avoiding it.

Not being able to kill someone wasn't something that happened. Ever. Of course, every once in a while, she met an opponent whose strength simply outclassed hers, but that wasn't the same thing. She could still kill them, it was just more likely that they'd beat her before an opportunity came up.

Her entire time in the Magical World, she had longed for her inevitable fight with Setsuna. No one matched her strength so equally, and no one else could make her feel so alive with only a touch. Since the very first day they met, Tsukuyomi was sure that killing Setsuna would fill her with a pleasure far more intense than anything she'd ever felt.

And then when they finally did get their true fight, she enjoyed every second of it. Even with the inconvenient interruptions, there could be no question that once it really started up, Setsuna was entirely focused on her. Setsuna wanted the fight just as badly.

Tsukuyomi dug out her broken pencil from under her sheets.

She couldn't remember if she'd been thinking of killing Setsuna then. The fight and the blood had completely consumed her—death was secondary to those pleasures. Shredding through Setsuna's flesh and feeling the spray of that deliciously hot blood splashing against her face—to her, that was the point.

There was, after all, nothing more beautiful than seeing Setsuna's pale skin colored red with her own blood.

But the logical conclusion if that fight had continued without outside interference—

Tsukuyomi clamped her eyes shut and fought to keep her breathing regulated. An uncomfortable tremor of fear went through her. She remembered all too well where this path led.

_Not doing this again, no we're not._

She got the point. The thought of a dead Setsuna wasn't something she could bear. It made no sense whatsoever, but she understood enough to know that she needed to guide her thoughts away from a dead Setsuna.

Tsukuyomi shivered; the room really was too cold.

She wasn't used to her mind objecting to anything so violently.

She wasn't used to being afraid.

Shaking her head furiously, she threw off the sheets and sat on the edge of the bed, examining the broken pencil in her hands. After a day of keeping her thoughts occupied with anything other than Setsuna, the little piece of wood was really very sharp.

Tsukuyomi scowled at it. She didn't like how quickly her self-control died, but the number of things she did like about her current situation were rapidly disappearing, so there wasn't any point pouting about it.

She drove the wood into her forearm, gasping in relief when the first touch of heat dripped onto her skin.

* * *

Setsuna walked back to her room as slowly as she possibly could. Looking uncomfortably over her shoulder every few seconds helped with that. And it proved that she was imagining the disapproving eyes watching her every move.

She sighed and looked back in front of her, following the path her feet were walking.

She wondered if she should have told the headmaster about her fight with Tsukuyomi.

The most vocal part of her conscience certainly agreed with that. Setsuna glanced over her shoulder for what she told herself would be the last time. Still no one watching her.

What was she supposed to say? She hadn't even told Konoka about what happened. Only Mana knew, and she didn't have all of the details. Telling the headmaster would mean explaining exactly why holding her temper around Tsukuyomi was impossible, and that would make it obvious that she probably shouldn't be the one guarding the infuriating girl because she somehow managed to _scare _her and—

And—

She didn't feel comfortable with the idea of someone else watching Tsukuyomi.

Setsuna knew she could be a little—well—_possessive_ of the other girl, but she thought that ended with their fight. Hadn't she hoped that someone else would deal with the swordsgirl at the start of Tsukuyomi's incarceration?

_But did I ever really _want_ someone else to look after her?_

She wished she didn't know the answer to that; months of paranoia prevented her from putting too much distance between herself and Tsukuyomi. If someone else guarded her…

Setsuna looked over her shoulder another last time. Her selfishness was inappropriate back when she wanted to kill Tsukuyomi, and it was inappropriate now. She wasn't supposed to hold things back in her reports to the headmaster. Technically, she held back information about herself, but that was a pitiful justification for it.

And to make matters worse, part of her was starting to think that reporting to the headmaster wasn't necessary because Tsukuyomi was behaving herself, and the only problems popping up stemmed from their interaction and that was _private_.

_And that,_ Setsuna thought, _is ridiculous._

Setsuna rubbed at her forehead. She'd talk to Tsukuyomi about their fight when she reached the room. If she couldn't convince herself to tell the headmaster about it, she should at least fix things so it wasn't an issue. She probably shouldn't have taken advantage of Tsukuyomi's willingness to ignore the incident in the first place, so she could correct that too.

Plan hesitantly in place, Setsuna nodded and started walking at a normal pace.

The battered door to her room showed up much faster than she would have liked.

Setsuna took a deep breath and got out her key. There was always the chance that Tsukuyomi would still be asleep; there was no guarantee that she'd have to start an awkward conversation the second she stepped through the door.

She opened the door and walked in quietly—just in case.

All of her mental preparation vanished when she saw Tsukuyomi bleeding all over the bed.

Her body froze for a second, not comprehending what was happening.

_Tsukuyomi_

Blood.

Her blood.

Everywhere.

All over the bed.

All over the tower floor—

Setsuna's body ran forward of its own volition and pressed a hand against Tsukuyomi's bleeding forearm while the other summoned her pactio card. She barely noticed the other girl's eyes opening in shock when she tightened her grip around the wound, smearing blood all over her hand.

"**Kono-chan!"

* * *

**

Konoka pushed herself off the bed, sighing in relief. "Okay, done."

"She's going to be okay then?" Setsuna asked anxiously.

Konoka nodded. "She just lost a lot of blood—she'll be fine."

Setsuna looked at the unconscious girl who was lying so innocently on the bloody sheets. She gulped and turned away when she realized that Tsukuyomi was still covered in blood—and smiling. "That's good."

She spun the piece of wood that had caused all the trouble around in her hand. How had Tsukuyomi managed to do so much damage to herself with it? It was sharp enough to pierce the skin, but to cut into her arm that deeply with it… it would have been incredibly painful. And slow.

Setsuna felt a little sick imagining Tsukuyomi carefully opening up her veins little by little. What had Tsukuyomi been thinking? What the hell possessed her to be so stupid when there wasn't any guarantee that she'd get to a healer before bleeding to death? She didn't have the tools to be accurate enough to safely slice that deeply into herself, and it was just luck that Konoka was available. She wasn't at the dojo anymore. She couldn't just go to the infirmary and be sure that someone was around with the skill needed to fix her.

_What was she _thinking_? She nearly killed herself!_

The broken pencil snapped in Setsuna's hand. She felt a little comforted when the half that fell out of her hand was the bloodier one. It was practically drenched in the repulsive fluid.

_Tsukuyomi's blood._

Setsuna jumped when she felt Konoka's hands slip into hers. She dropped the other half of the pencil and looked into her partner's eyes. Nothing but open affection could be seen in Konoka's expression, and Setsuna felt her heart speed up and ache. She swallowed nervously. "Kono-chan?"

"Your hands are shaking," Konoka said softly.

"O-oh." Setsuna let Konoka move her into the chair she'd put near the bed while Konoka was working on Tsukuyomi. Konoka knelt next to her, still holding her hands. She ran her thumbs over Setsuna's knuckles in a gentle caress.

"She really will be okay Set-chan; you should have more faith in me."

"What?" Setsuna asked in shock before she tried to stutter out an explanation. "N-no—I'm not—it's not that I don't—I just—"

Konoka giggled and stood up to kiss Setsuna's reddening cheek. She kept her lips against the burning skin several seconds longer than strictly necessary, and Setsuna could feel her higher brain function failing.

"Worrying so much isn't healthy, Set-chan."

Setsuna could feel her scalp starting to tingle. Searching for some distraction, her gaze fell back on Tsukuyomi. The girl was apparently still blissfully unconscious. Setsuna didn't know when they were going to get a chance to clean the sheets.

"Set-chan?"

"Ah—yes, Ojou-sama?"

Konoka gnawed on her lip and squeezed Setsuna's hands tightly. Belatedly, Setsuna wondered how much of Tsukuyomi's blood she was getting on her partner.

"Should we be getting Tsukuyomi-san help?"

Setsuna blinked in confusion. "I thought you said that she's going to be fine?"

Konoka shook her head. "That's not what I meant."

"Then… what did you mean?"

"Set-chan, she tried to _kill_ herself," Konoka said worriedly. "That's not healthy."

Setsuna confusion vanished, and she was left feeling incredibly awkward when she realized the conclusion her partner had reached. She shifted uncomfortably in the chair and glanced at Tsukuyomi for a moment before looking back at the honestly concerned Konoka.

"She—wasn't trying to kill herself."

Now it was Konoka's turn to be confused. "But then why did she—?"

Setsuna shrugged hopelessly. "I don't know. I think it's a—a hobby of hers."

"A hobby?"

"I think so." Setsuna wasn't sure what else to call it. As far as she knew (and she really didn't know much), it was something Tsukuyomi enjoyed that helped her pass the time. That was a hobby, right?

"She does things like this to herself for _fun_?"

Setsuna nodded, feeling increasingly uncomfortable as Konoka's expression grew more and more disturbed. She didn't spend much time considering Tsukuyomi's peculiar habits, but she was at least aware of how alien the girl's mind was compared to normal people's. Konoka wasn't familiar enough with Tsukuyomi to know that this was probably the least distressing of her entertainment choices.

She sighed and looked back at her roommate. Tsukuyomi looked like she was starting to wake up a little bit—she wasn't smiling anymore, and her usual sleeping behavior was kicking in; she was shivering and curling her head into the bloody sheets. She would probably be up in a few minutes; less if Konoka kept talking. Then Setsuna would have to be ready to talk about their fight, and—she'd also have to work out what to tell the headmaster about this mess.

He definitely needed to know that Tsukuyomi had gotten her hands on a weapon, even if it wasn't one she could use effectively on anyone other than herself. She wasn't as sure that it was necessary for him to know what Tsukuyomi used the improvised weapon for. Technically, she had only been ordered to report on how well Tsukuyomi was following the rules the headmaster set, not the girl's eccentricities.

The best thing, Setsuna decided, her head starting to throb painfully, was probably to talk to Tsukuyomi about everything and figure out what the headmaster needed to know then.

She could just imagine how well that would go. It was very unlikely that Tsukuyomi would understand why slicing her arm open created problems for anyone else, and even less likely that she would care.

"You're doing it again."

Setsuna jumped. "Huh?"

Konoka smiled warmly. "Worrying."

"Sorry," Setsuna said automatically.

Konoka shook her head. "Don't be—I don't blame you. If I was in charge of Tsukuyomi-san, I think I would have gone crazy weeks ago."

"I'm wondering if I did," Setsuna admitted. She extricated her hands from her partner's and tried not to look at how much of Tsukuyomi's blood was all over them.

"Well," Konoka said, wrapping her arms tightly around Setsuna and keeping her from moving any further away, "even if you did, that's okay. Crazy Set-chan is cute."

Setsuna ducked her head, attempting to hide her horribly flushed face from view. Konoka laughed softly at the reaction and squeezed her closer. They both stayed in contented (if slightly embarrassed on Setsuna's side) silence for several moments before Konoka spoke up again.

"Do you still want to be the one guarding Tsukuyomi-san?"

"Yes," Setsuna said with mortifying promptness.

"So," Konoka said, pulling away, "you just have to make sure that she doesn't keep up with her, um, hobbies anymore, right?"

Setsuna smiled ruefully. "It's harder than it sounds… I didn't even think to ask about what happened to her pencil. When she said it broke, I just got her a new one and…" She gestured to the fitfully sleeping girl on the bed.

"But you still want to do it."

"I—yes."

"And is worrying going to help with that?"

Setsuna was beginning to feel like a small child being lectured. "No."

Konoka clapped her hands together. "So what does that tell you?

"That I should stop worrying," Setsuna chanted obediently.

"You're worried?"

Konoka and Setsuna both jumped at the sudden question from the supposedly unconscious Tsukuyomi. The blonde was sitting up and clinging to the bloody sheets. She looked more spacey than usual, but other than that and the blood all over everything, no one would have known that she had been so close to death such a short time ago.

Setsuna leapt up from her chair and stepped closer to the bed, trying very, very hard not to notice the overwhelming relief blossoming in her chest. "Are you okay?"

Tsukuyomi raised an eyebrow in confusion at the question, almost making Setsuna blush when she realized just how ridiculous she was being about this. It wasn't like this was the first time Tsukuyomi had passed out from blood loss. Compared to how badly injured she was after their fight, this was nothing.

"Oh? You were worried about me then? That's sweet of you."

* * *

Tsukuyomi's eyes trailed down to stare at Setsuna's hands, her bleariness immediately vanishing when she took in how much of her blood was smeared all over her precious senpai. How had that gotten there?

Wait—she could remember splitting open her arm with the pencil.

That was it then.

She did feel a bit less cold, so she couldn't really complain, but she wished it hadn't been necessary. She had something of a record going for not needing to do that, and it was always better to make someone else bleed anyways.

Hold on, though… Her arm. Something was wrong.

There was no pain.

She yanked aside the heated sheets and looked down at her arm.

Now see, that just wasn't right. The relaxing warmth of her blood was there, but there was no wound. How had that happened? She ran her fingers over her arm, prodding where there was supposed to be a bloody gash, but she could only feel smooth skin.

"You really don't need to though. It doesn't look like I need fixing." As curious as that was, it wasn't something to be worried about. Tsukuyomi poked harder, but there really didn't seem to be anything there. Not even a scar.

"Not anymore," Setsuna said with a strange amount of sharpness. "You cut deeply enough that Ojou-sama needed to heal you."

Tsukuyomi took in the amount of blood on the sheets before glancing at the third girl in the room briefly. She didn't bother to correct Setsuna's assumption—she wasn't positive that she was remembering correctly yet.

"Sorry Tsukuyomi-san; I didn't think to wash the blood off."

Meeting Konoka's eyes, Tsukuyomi smiled. "Don't worry about it Konoka-sama. I like it better like this."

Konoka looked strangely uncomfortable when she heard that, vastly improving Tsukuyomi's mood. On the other hand, Setsuna still didn't look anything approaching happy.

And she was too close.

Something that felt entirely too much like fear chilled Tsukuyomi's tolerably lukewarm skin and she edged away from her Senpai. She almost wanted the Setsuna from yesterday that was all too willing to ignore her. At least then she wouldn't have to—

_Uh uh._

Great. Now she had a headache.

Konoka coughed lightly. "Um, Set-chan, I'm going to go ahead and go so you two can talk. I'll see you Monday, okay?" She barely had an answer out of Setsuna before she leaned over to kiss her cheek and started out the room, leaving her partner to stutter an embarrassed goodbye.

Tsukuyomi scowled at that, feeling incredibly irritated all of a sudden. The feeling only got worse when Setsuna stared at the door for several seconds after Konoka left before shaking herself and sitting back down on a chair that definitely hadn't been there the last time Tsukuyomi woke up.

They both looked at each other for a few moments before Tsukuyomi's gaze naturally drifted back down to Setsuna's bloody hands.

She knew it wasn't really Setsuna's blood, but the red still looked lovely on her senpai's pale skin. Tsukuyomi pulled her sheets back up around her, taking in the warmth left over from her blood. It was comfortable, but she was right. Even including the blood on Setsuna and Konoka, there wasn't anywhere near enough.

So she was remembering correctly. That burning that filled her wasn't from the blood. Setsuna grabbed her arm and tried to stop the bleeding.

Adrenaline started to feel her veins and she had to fight to keep her breathing steady. How many years had it been since she'd felt _that_? If she didn't know what happened when she got too caught up in Setsuna now, she'd be very annoyed that she passed out before she could properly take in the feeling.

At least this time she passed out before…

Pathetic, really. She knew she reacted strongly to Setsuna, but she had thought she had more self-control than this. She'd lasted longer without spilling blood when she was on Fate's payroll. It couldn't just be that she was constantly around her senpai, could it?

Not that Tsukuyomi could really say for sure what Setsuna did to her at this point. She rubbed at her bloody arm. Did Konoka really have to heal her?

And if she kept ignoring the awkward silence, would Setsuna go away? They had managed a whole day without talking already. Why break a perfectly nice record?

Her musings were interrupted by Setsuna reaching out to fidget with a stray thread on the sheets. Tsukuyomi jerked back, putting some distance between her and Setsuna's temptingly warm hands.

"Don't touch me."

Setsuna's eyes widened guiltily and she pulled back her hand. "I wasn't—sorry."

Tsukuyomi shrugged and shifted a few inches away from the edge of the bed, trying to pretend that her heart wasn't racing. This was so unfair. She _liked_ Setsuna. Why did she have to have such an aversion to killing the one person she genuinely liked? It wasn't any fair!

"Tsukuyomi?"

The girl in question sighed. "Yes, Senpai?"

"The other day—I'm sorry for losing my temper. I was out of line."

Tsukuyomi rolled her eyes and felt herself start to smile. "Don't apologize. In case you couldn't tell, I like seeing you lose control." Whatever her current problems were, and however Setsuna seemed to inspire them, that was still very much true.

"I scared you."

Tsukuyomi lost all traces of her smile. "You saw that."

Setsuna nodded, but kept her eyes glued to the floor. Her shoulders were tensed, her fists were balled, and guilt was written all over the parts of her face Tsukuyomi could see. Tsukuyomi looked away and tried to press her warm sheets closer to her skin, determined to stay quiet.

Emotions were, in general, squishy, messy things. Acknowledging their presence in the first place tended to make everything worse (especially in the case of Fate's overly emotional underlings), and talking about them was just pointless.

Really, she didn't like thinking about them in the first place, so what could possibly be the point of sharing her unhappiness? Admittedly, the idea of sharing things with Setsuna wasn't something she could automatically dismiss simply because it was _Setsuna_, but there was no point.

…She didn't think that miserable look on Setsuna's face was leaving.

"You didn't scare me," Tsukuyomi said quietly. "It's just that when you touch me…" She rested her chin in her hands and tried to work out the best way to explain it.

"Your touch excites me too much," she finally settled on.

"_What?_" Setsuna squeaked.

Tsukuyomi tapped her fingers against her cheek. "It made me consider something that I really didn't want to, so I got—scared. But," she looked over and met Setsuna's mortified gaze, "I like you far too much to be afraid of you."

Setsuna did a remarkable impression of a goldfish for nearly a minute. It made Tsukuyomi smile a little—Senpai was still Senpai after all. "Ah—o-okay."

More silence, much more comfortable than earlier, fell. Tsukuyomi curled up on her side so she could watch the embarrassed, conflicted emotions flash across Setsuna's face. There was a smear of blood on her cheek.

For a very odd second, Tsukuyomi wanted to reach over and brush it away, just to have an excuse to touch Setsuna. Then she remembered that doing that would probably make her want to kill Setsuna, and that was bad. So she contented herself with taking in the contrast of her blood against Setsuna's pale white skin.

At least, she did until Setsuna regained her composure and smoothed away the blood herself. Tsukuyomi pouted. Her blood looked so much more appetizing when it was spattered on Setsuna's flesh.

"Is it the blood?"

"Huh?" Tsukuyomi said ineloquently. She hadn't realized she was still expected to be participating in a conversation. It wasn't like Setsuna usually volunteered for casual discussion. She tended to do everything possible to avoid it.

Setsuna clasped her hands together, rubbing flakes of dried blood off her fingernails. She tilted her head and let her eyes fall to Tsukuyomi's covered arm.

"I'm not going to tell the headmaster about this," she said very quickly. "So… so… I think I should know what 'this' is."

Tsukuyomi raised her eyebrows. Well now, she hadn't even gotten around to considering the problems other people objectively caring about her wellbeing could cause. "My, my… you're willing to lie for me? That's not really proper behavior for someone like you, is it?"

"Tsukuyomi…" Setsuna sighed. "Could you just tell me?"

"You didn't care nearly so much last time," Tsukuyomi said mildly. "Or at all. Does this mean you care now? If you were just being a responsible guard, lying wouldn't even cross your mind, so it's not that. What has you so curious?"

"That was years ago," Setsuna snapped. "I barely knew you."

Tsukuyomi grinned at her Senpai's defensive tone. "And you've gone to so much trouble since then to get to know me better." Setsuna glared at her. Tsukuyomi shrugged and started watching the tension gathering in Setsuna's wrists. Her veins and tendons were standing out so prominently that it was incredibly easy to imagine—

Struck by a sudden inability to breathe properly, Tsukuyomi cleared her throat. "Haven't I told you before? For me, there's no greater pleasure than spilling someone's blood. Right now, mine just happens to be the only kind available, so I have to manage with that." She almost asked if Setsuna would like to volunteer hers before she remembered her current issues with her roommate.

"But—why—?"

Tsukuyomi smiled. "Not everything needs to be complicated, Setsuna-senpai. It's warm. And tasty. I like it."

* * *

Setsuna watched Tsukuyomi's blood flow down the drain.

Something about what the girl said was bothering her. It was strange—compared to everything else that had happened today, it seemed so small, but it refused to leave her alone.

She wasn't even sure that Tsukuyomi meant it that way… she really didn't know anything that she didn't before.

_But…_

Setsuna bowed her head, pressing it against the cool edge of the sink.

Tsukuyomi never slept properly. But she was definitely getting worse. Her shivering was violent enough that it woke Setsuna up sometimes, and in the beginning, the noise had only made it hard to get to sleep.

After Konoka healed her… had it gotten better?

She couldn't be sure. She'd have to ask Tsukuyomi if she really wanted to know.

She didn't want to know. Even if she was right, she couldn't think of anything to do about it. Not anything practical at least.

And besides, she was probably imagining it.

* * *

Tsukuyomi was feeling very, very confused as she watched Setsuna sleep.

It was happening again.

That strange yearning to touch her senpai. Only this time, there was no blood. There was just Setsuna's perfectly unblemished skin. It didn't make any sense to just want to touch her. Hadn't she learned anything?

She _couldn't_ kill her. No matter how badly she wanted to, she couldn't have Setsuna dead.

Tsukuyomi sighed and shut her eyes, forcing away the fear her all-too vivid imagination was causing.

She didn't like this. She didn't like this at all.

_Other_ people had trouble with killing. Not her. _Other_ people got so confused and scared over the thought of their precious person dying that they—

Tsukuyomi's eyes snapped open.

_Setsuna-senpai is my precious person._

She sat up in her bed and stared down at her sleeping roommate, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest. Setsuna's pulse fluttered in her neck. She was very obviously alive; exactly the way Tsukuyomi wanted her.

Tsukuyomi could feel her heart start to beat faster. A sticky, sappy feeling was flowing through her veins, making her skin buzz in contentment.

_I'm… in love with her._

…

_Well._

_That certainly explains a lot._


	10. Day 18

AN: Sorry for how long this chapter took... In the beginning school was taking up a lot of my attention and energy, but I probably could've updated a week ago if this chapter wasn't so troublesome. Hopefully the next one will be a bit quicker, but no promises.

**

* * *

Day 18**

* * *

Love.

Tsukuyomi had always been aware of the emotion in one way or another—it was everywhere; in the way comrades looked at each other before they broke and started begging for their lives; in the way partners swore their eternal loyalty to their masters, and they swore it right back… And always, always in the way bodyguards leapt in front of their charges, risking everything so that the person they valued could have one more moment to breathe.

Luna was in love with Negi. All of Fate's partners loved him—even with him gone.

Love made people stupid. Most emotions caused people trouble of some sort, but love… Luna never would have helped Negi if she didn't care for him, and the devotion of Fate's partners could have easily gotten them killed.

From a professional standpoint, it was very clearly a bad thing.

Very, very clearly.

Tsukuyomi flopped down on Setsuna's nest.

Their relationship wasn't exactly professional, was it?

Since she had somehow managed to fall in love with Setsuna, she should probably start categorizing their relationship as personal.

Love was supposed to be good for personal relationships, right?

Tsukuyomi frowned up at the bloodless ceiling. She was sure that somewhere, a Fate with the ability to appreciate humor was laughing at her because of their role reversal. Teasing him about his infatuation with Negi and budding humanity had been so fun at the time…

And she couldn't even resent Setsuna for it. She'd tried that.

Somehow, as much as she hated knowing there was someone in the world that she absolutely could not kill… It almost seemed okay because it was Setsuna. Her stubborn, serious, easily-embarrassed Senpai who managed to give her the pleasure of a lifetime every time they touched.

But there was still the problem of _wanting_ to kill Setsuna. Ignoring everything else, Setsuna was still the best opponent she'd ever had, and every fiber of her being wanted to fight her senpai again and feel that burning blood on her face.

And really, all of that was fine and glorious—except—

Setsuna—really was cuter alive. Breathing. Talking. On very rare occasions, smiling.

So what to do?

Escape was really the best solution. Once she got out of Mahora, she'd be free to kill whoever she wanted, so she wouldn't have so much trouble when she was around Setsuna. Theoretically. If she was going to be honest, Tsukuyomi had to admit that when she touched her Senpai, it wasn't just being close enough to kill Setsuna that got her blood boiling. Now that she could name why, that was uncomfortably obvious.

Tsukuyomi reached back and fluffed Setsuna's pillow. Being free to slaughter as she pleased again sounded exquisite, but there was still the problem of not being around Setsuna.

Love was an annoying emotion.

Maybe, if the princess didn't have to be involved… if no one knew that she was free, she could stay at Mahora and sneak out and kill things when Setsuna wasn't looking. But as long as the princess was involved, the second her Seal broke, if she didn't want it back, she'd have to leave immediately.

The door to the room creaked open and Tsukuyomi sat up, waiting to hear Setsuna's mechanical complaint about her resting on the wrong bed.

Only it wasn't Setsuna.

Tsukuyomi smiled. "Good afternoon, Gunslinger-onee-san!"

Mana shut the door behind her and nodded on her way to the beds. "Tsukuyomi. Enjoying yourself in here?"

"Not particularly. You and Senpai locked up all of your fun toys, so there's nothing to do." Not to mention Setsuna banning her from touching any pens or pencils. Explaining that to the Class Rep was fun. They dodged the issues as long as they could, but then Negi got dragged into the mess and Setsuna had to convince him to tell the Class Rep that Tsukuyomi couldn't use writing utensils for health reasons.

"What are you doing here?"

Mana raised her eyebrows. "This is my room too. Just because I prefer to sleep elsewhere doesn't mean I'm not allowed to be here."

"But why would you want to be here?" Tsukuyomi was convinced that this had to be the most boring room in all of Mahora when Setsuna wasn't around.

The gunslinger dragged one of the locked boxes out from under the bed. "The headmaster has requested that I take care of something for him. I'm running low on supplies since you've deprived me of Setsuna, so I get to restock here."

"Demons?"

"Perhaps."

Tsukuyomi got up from Setsuna's nest and watched Mana unlock the box with interest. "What exactly is in there?"

"Nothing you're allowed to touch."

"That's a negative way of looking at it."

Mana removed the lock and took out a gun from—somewhere—to point it in between Tsukuyomi's eyes. "Okay then. How about this? If you look or touch anything in the box while I have it out, I'll make it so that you are utterly incapable of either action again."

Tsukuyomi flopped back down on Setsuna's nest with an irritated huff. "You're no fun, Onee-san."

"I try," Mana said, opening the box while keeping her gun trained on Tsukuyomi.

Tsukuyomi watched her fellow mercenary work through the mysterious contents of the box for a few moments. Some of the noises coming from it sounded promising, but she doubted that the gunslinger would let her live long enough to use anything she found.

She should have tried using the pencil to pick the locks when she had the chance. At least with a weapon, she wouldn't be bored.

Setsuna would probably catch her and confiscate it pretty quickly though.

"Hey, Onee-san?"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever been in love?"

The noises stopped for a second. "You and Setsuna really need to learn how to fix your relationship issues without involving me."

Tsukuyomi shrugged and waited patiently for Mana to continue.

The girl sighed and turned around, her gun still not moving an inch. "I have."

"And?"

She chuckled. "And what? I was fortunate enough to be in the unique position of not wanting to kill the person I loved, but there's a reason it isn't encouraged in our profession."

Tsukuyomi propped herself up on her hands. "You're being astoundingly unhelpful."

Mana laughed and went back to clinking things together in the box. "I'm only being honest with you. I thought you preferred people like that?" She seemed to find what she was looking for; the noises stopped and she stuffed something that Tsukuyomi couldn't quite see into her bag. In several quick motions, the gunslinger had the box once again locked (unfortunately) and under the bed.

She stood up and looked at Tsukuyomi with a silent, considering expression that reminded her quite a bit of Fate. "What are you going to do about it?"

Tsukuyomi frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if, for instance, you were to decide that the inconvenience of the emotion was too much to handle and you're better off killing Setsuna, I'd have to take certain precautions to make sure she lives past the semester." Mana cocked her gun threateningly. Tsukuyomi rolled her eyes and pouted. They both knew she was basically useless right now.

"And if you've decided to try seducing her, I need to immediately discourage you."

"I actually hadn't thought that far ahead." She kept getting stuck on the "can't kill" dilemma. Now that she thought of it however… If she could touch Setsuna without wanting to kill her, she certainly wouldn't mind touching Setsuna—everywhere. She'd had that body under hers before, after all—she knew exactly how that blazing heat and soft skin felt. For a fighter, Setsuna really did have a delicate body…

"And why?"

Mana rolled her eyes. "Because as inept as you are with intense emotions, Setsuna is worse. She is not going to handle any confession well, especially since the two of you just barely got over your urges to kill one another."

"We're not really over them—we just can't do anything about it," Tsukuyomi pointed out. "Setsuna-senpai's too honorable to hurt me when all of my energy's sealed up, and I don't want to fight her when I'm like this." Not that she was going to explain what "this" was. The gunslinger did not need to know that she was incapable of killing Setsuna for reasons beyond a simple lack of ki.

"Of course," Mana murmured. "Fine then—you've both just gotten used to restraining yourselves. I doubt that restraint will last long if you bring up your feelings."

So if she ever wanted to fight with Setsuna properly after she broke the Seal, she'd only have to say that she loved her. That still didn't solve the killing problem, but it was very good to know. It wasn't like this would—last—

Unless it did.

Tsukuyomi tried, for a moment, to imagine sometime in the future when she was free of the Seal; free to deal Setsuna as much damage as she wanted to. There would be absolutely nothing holding her back except her own will.

But even then… It was Senpai. _Her_ Setsuna-senpai.

_Could it really be like that? Could I really just… _stay_ in love with her?_

An odd fluttering feeling in her stomach seemed to agree with that thought.

"Now if you don't mind," Mana said, "I'd like to finish up my work before we're supposed to be in class. Try to behave yourself." Finally putting her gun away, Tsukuyomi's typically absent roommate walked out of the room.

Tsukuyomi groaned and threw her head back on Setsuna's pillow. She missed things being simple.

* * *

"What does sucking someone's blood feel like?"

All things considered, that probably wasn't the best way to phrase her question, but considering the look on Evangeline's face, Setsuna figured that she had to at least say something before she got kicked out of the resort.

And it did get Evangeline to stop glaring at her.

The diminutive vampire wiped her mouth clean of the tea Setsuna's poorly-timed question had nearly made her choke on.

"What," she asked, "does someone like you need to know that for?"

Setsuna swallowed nervously. "Uh… I was just wondering… You'd be more sensitive to it, since you're a vampire, so if anyone was going to know about why someone reacts to blood a certain way…" Setsuna trailed off, starting to think she'd be better off if she just tattooed 'HELP' to her forehead.

Evangeline stared at Setsuna, clearly unimpressed.

"Having fun with your girlfriend, are you?"

"Tsukuyomi is _not_ my girlfriend!" Setsuna yelped defensively. She could feel her face burning at the very idea.

Evangeline rolled her eyes. "Fine. Is your homicidal roommate teaching you the finer things in life?"

Face still much redder than was probably healthy, Setsuna didn't think her glare was anything approaching threatening. If anything, Evangeline's smirk grew more pronounced. Trying to regain what little dignity she could have around the vampire, Setsuna cleared her throat and stood up straight.

"There was an… incident a few days ago. A, um, hobby of Tsukuyomi's got out of hand. I was wondering… if there was something I could do to help, I could make sure something like that won't happen again."

Oddly enough, Evangeline's amusement vanished at that. "And this hobby of hers is related to blood, is it?"

"That's right."

Evangeline spun her half-empty teacup around on her finger silently. Setsuna watched its progress nervously, wondering if the cup was going to be flung in her general direction for wasting the Dark Evangel's time.

Then Evangeline abruptly stopped handling the teacup and tossed it back on the table, the remaining liquid barely splashing over the side. "Have you lost your mind, Sakurazaki?"

The question was asked so casually that Setsuna could almost fool herself into thinking that she hadn't made an enormous mistake in staying behind in the resort—with no witnesses—to ask for Evangeline's help.

"No," Setsuna said, feeling very unconvincing.

Evangeline laughed. "No, of course not. You just think that if you understand her—if you can somehow apply logic to her actions—you can keep her from causing you trouble. Not a bad theory, but it has one glaring problem that you've managed to overlook."

"Oh?"

"The girl is insane." Evangeline took a long sip of tea and handed the cup off to one of Chachamaru's sisters. "Even if I could give you some reason—some _excuse_ for her behavior, it wouldn't change anything. She'd still be a psychotic mess. The Ouroboros Seal is the only reason she hasn't gone on a killing spree already, and you know it."

Setsuna winced and tried to go back to the original topic. "Evangeline-san, could you just tell me if you've ever heard of someone who feels blood purely as heat? Even when nothing else feels warm to them?"

There, that was what she should have asked in the first place.

"Huh. You're sure that's how it works for her?"

"I think so." Setsuna had been paying very close attention to Tsukuyomi over the last few days, especially the way the girl shivered in her sleep, and putting that together with some of the things the blonde said, it made sense. She just didn't know how it worked.

Evangeline watched Setsuna for a few moments before snickering quietly. "So that's why you're so interested. Feeling a tad guilty about your request now? If you had just let her go off with Eishun in the first place, it wouldn't be a problem."

Setsuna looked down at her feet guiltily. "I don't—I don't think it's _just_ that."

"Probably not, but you certainly didn't help matters."

"So _have_ you heard of anyone with that problem before?"

Evangeline shrugged. "No. But then, I don't make a habit of associating with bloodthirsty lunatics."

So this had all been for nothing? Setsuna sighed. Great. She had thought if anyone would know about it, it would be Evangeline.

"There's always the obvious explanation you know."

Setsuna's head shot up. "What's that?"

"She's crazy," Evangeline said in a tone that was clearly questioning Setsuna's sanity at this point. "There's nothing wrong with her; that's just how her head works."

Setsuna bit her lip. Yes, there was always that possibility. That incredibly unhelpful possibility that didn't give her any idea what she was supposed to do. She couldn't just leave things like that; if nothing else, Tsukuyomi's chronic shivering problem was starting to concern her.

And the option of occasionally giving Tsukuyomi a weapon to mutilate herself with was _not_ something she wanted to seriously consider.

She sighed. "Thanks for the help, Evangeline-san."

The vampire waved her off. "Sure."

Setsuna bowed her head respectfully and started off towards the resort's exit, feeling considerably more lost than when she'd started her conversation with Evangeline.

"Setsuna."

The half-demon turned back around hopefully. "Yes?"

Evangeline was smirking again, her fangs standing out prominently. "You could always just let her have her killing spree. That would fix both your problems, wouldn't it?"

* * *

Tsukuyomi would have dearly loved to ask what had put Setsuna in such a bad mood. Ever since coming back from training with her friends, her Senpai had seemed overly preoccupied with something that was making her frown a lot more than usual.

Normally, she would have harassed Setsuna into giving her an explanation, but she'd had her fill of complicated conversations today. Also, a distracted Setsuna was much easier to stare at than one paying full attention to her charge. In general, Setsuna didn't tend to be appreciative of her staring.

"Tsukuyomi?"

So maybe she was paying a little attention, even if she was still staring at the floor with the most frustrated expression on her face. Tsukuyomi sat up in her bed, dangling her legs over the side. "Yes, Setsuna-senpai?"

Setsuna pulled at a thread sticking out of her nest and didn't say anything for several moments. Then she turned her aggravated eyes on the ceiling. "You would have escaped weeks ago if Eishun-sama took custody of you, right?"

Tsukuyomi tilted her head to one side, considering the question. She'd never actually been in the Kansai Magic Association's cells. She was very careful about not getting caught; she was only at Mahora because she should have died. If they hadn't bothered healing her, she definitely wouldn't be anyone's prisoner.

Kotarou had managed to escape easily enough, hadn't he?

"Probably," Tsukuyomi answered. "Why?"

Setsuna didn't respond immediately. She was still playing with the thread. Tsukuyomi watched her curiously, wishing her Senpai would pay her a little more attention at this point. Talking to someone who wouldn't even look at her wasn't interesting at all, even if it was Setsuna.

"I'm going to bed," she muttered at last, standing up and walking over to the closet.

"Isn't it a little early for you?" Normally they went to bed at the same time, and Tsukuyomi didn't think she'd be trying to sleep for at least an hour.

Setsuna didn't bother answering. She just quickly and quietly changed her clothes, taking care to keep most of her skin hidden from view. Tsukuyomi smiled a little at the attempted modesty. It really was cute that Setsuna _still_ wasn't comfortable with undressing in front of her. Not as cute as Setsuna unclothed but for now she'd take it.

Soon enough, the lights were off and Setsuna was curled up under her sheets.

Tsukuyomi mimicked her and stared up at the bottom of the top bunk, sighing when she realized she was counting the cracks in the wood. She really needed to make more progress with the princess so she could break the Seal. Her life when Setsuna was unconscious or otherwise not present was incredibly dull.

She looked over fondly at the other girl. The lines of Setsuna's unhappy glare were finally evening out. She was almost looking peaceful.

Tsukuyomi smiled. "Good night, Setsuna-senpai," she murmured. "Try not to sleep too badly."

With that, she closed her eyes and gave up trying to pay any more attention to her very, very dull reality. Then, for some reason, the world tilted and became much more interesting, making her eyes snap open.

"Good night, Tsukuyomi."


	11. Day 22

AN: Yay, I didn't take forever to update. Also, I'd like to note that the next chapter is the day after this one, meaning that the ending scene is continued. I don't know why I feel the need to mention it, but it feels important somehow.

* * *

**Day 22**

* * *

Setsuna woke with a start, reaching for Yūnagi and throwing her sheets to the side as she leapt to her feet, automatically jerking her head from side to side to find the source of the disturbance that woke her up.

Her sword was halfway drawn before her eyes fell to the beds.

Frowning, and feeling horribly embarrassed, Setsuna slid Yūnagi back into its sheath and walked over to where Tsukuyomi was sleeping so restlessly. Somehow, over the course of the night, Tsukuyomi had rolled into the wall, and she was now shivering so badly that her head was banging against the wall.

Setsuna pressed her forehead against the side of the top bunk and watched the girl sleep.

This was the third night in a row this had happened. The first time, she'd been able to get back to sleep easily enough. Last night hadn't been so pleasant, and she could already tell this was going to be even worse.

_How can she sleep like that?_

Setsuna reached out her hand hesitantly, just barely brushing her fingers against the sheets Tsukuyomi wasn't using. It was strange seeing the other girl so vulnerable. So uncomfortable. Even last week, passed out and her entire arm covered in blood, she'd looked more at peace. A little too at peace honestly, but at least she didn't look like—

Well, like this.

Setsuna thought back to her earlier conversation with the headmaster. Unsurprisingly, it had gone well. Ignoring the incident with the pencil, Tsukuyomi had behaved herself almost perfectly since the last meeting. Setsuna would have preferred it if she backed off in her feud with Asuna, but really, it hadn't been a bad week.

Except for Tsukuyomi's sleep and heat issues.

If she ever wanted a full night of sleep again, she needed to figure out how to fix that problem. Preferably in a manner that didn't involve too much blood.

And if that turned out to be the only solution…

Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

Setsuna sighed. She should probably at least move Tsukuyomi's head before the girl woke up.

Taking a deep breath, Setsuna ducked her head under the top bunk and reached out to move Tsukuyomi away from the wall, belatedly realizing that a sleeping Tsukuyomi might not respond too well to a disruption like that.

Setsuna practically jumped out of her skin, barely avoiding hitting her head on the top bunk, when she touched the girl and Tsukuyomi's entire body stilled. She froze and fought back the impulse to move away from the bunk beds and back to her own. Ki or no ki, she did not want to deal with Tsukuyomi attacking her. Especially not in such an enclosed space.

Soon though, she realized that her roommate wasn't awake. She had just stopped shivering.

Setsuna blinked in surprise. For the first time in a week, Tsukuyomi looked completely relaxed in her sleep. And, more significantly, she wasn't moving a single inch. The only movement Setsuna could feel came from a heartbeat.

Breathing a little unsteadily, Setsuna moved her hands so that they were on either side of Tsukuyomi instead of holding her. Only a handful of seconds later, the shivering started back up again. Setsuna stared, fascinated, before she heard the noise the wall was making.

Setsuna moved quickly and readjusted her hands so they were once again gripping Tsukuyomi. She shifted the girl's body a few inches away from the wall, very, very glad that Tsukuyomi wasn't awake to see how uncomfortable this was making her. She'd had too little sleep to deal with this, and the last time she'd felt so much of Tsukuyomi—

It didn't help that she could swear the space between the top and bottom bunks was shrinking.

Setsuna closed her eyes and moved her hands back onto the mattress, leaning heavily against them. She was only imagining it. Not that knowing that particularly helped, but it wasn't as if she was really trapped.

_Deep breaths. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in—_

"Setsuna-senpai?"

Setsuna's eyes flew open. She looked down at Tsukuyomi, her face starting to burn when she realized just how she was arranged above her roommate. The awakening girl was blinking up at her, obviously thinking very oddly of Setsuna's position, but not quite awake enough to understand what was going on.

"I—I, uh—you see—um—I was just—the wall—" Setsuna stuttered, fumbling about for some explanation that could possibly excuse her presence above Tsukuyomi. "Good morning?"

Tsukuyomi's flickered over to the window. "It's still dark out." She looked down at where Setsuna's hands were. Then she looked back up, smiling in an odd, slightly predatory way that made Setsuna feel very small. "Of course, if you want to do something to me with the lights out, I'm more than open to—"

Setsuna jumped back, this time hitting her head very solidly against the top bunk before she escaped the small enclosure that held Tsukuyomi. Fresh air finally swooping into her lungs once more, Setsuna felt some of the tension in her shoulders relax slightly.

Embarrassed and in an uncomfortable amount of pain, but finally able to breathe a little more easily, she focused her gaze on something other than the oddly smiling girl. She ended up speaking very quickly to the ceiling while walking backwards.

"I think I'm going to go for a run," Setsuna said stiffly, trying to hold herself with as much dignity as she could. The room felt incredibly cramped, and she was sure she'd manage to blush herself to death if she stayed in close proximity to Tsukuyomi. Going outside sounded good. Being able to move sounded even better. She brushed some hair out of her eyes, a little surprised to feel how sweaty her forehead was. "You can, um, go back to sleep now."

Setsuna spun around and threw open the door, slamming it into the wall before grabbing the handle and shutting it securely.

She was a good way down the hallway before she realized that her shoulder felt lighter than she was used to.

_Wait—Yūnagi!_

Setsuna ran back to her room as fast as she could, swinging the door open and immediately searching the floor for her sword.

Tsukuyomi's hand was less than an inch away from it.

Acting quickly, Setsuna just barely managed to grab Yūnagi before Tsukuyomi could get her hands on it. Tsukuyomi eyebrow twitched slightly at the development before smiling innocently at her.

"I thought you said you were going running?"

Setsuna glared at her.

* * *

Tsukuyomi didn't know if she should laugh or cry in frustration. So close. She had come _so close_ to being able to play with her Senpai's sword. It probably wouldn't have lasted long, and she doubted she could really use it for much as long as the wards kept her trapped in the room, but that wasn't the point! For the first time in weeks, a sword had been within her grasp, and someone took it _away_.

On the other hand, watching a completely panicked Setsuna run back into the room and dive for her sword was incredibly entertaining. Especially considering everything else that had happened this morning. Tsukuyomi didn't think Setsuna knew up from down by the time she left the room.

Come to think of it, at the moment, she wasn't sure she did either. The last time Setsuna was so delectably close—on top of her even—was when she realized she couldn't kill her Senpai.

What a pleasant sight to wake up to.

Way too early for her taste, but it was still nice. Really, really, nice.

It made Tsukuyomi wish, just a little, that she could reach out and touch Setsuna without completely losing her head; that she could have the pleasure of her Senpai's touch without worrying about how enchanting killing her would feel.

Tsukuyomi yawned and crawled over to Setsuna's nest, pulling the warm sheets over her body and closing her eyes. She didn't mind at all if Setsuna wanted to wake her up like that, but honestly, she needed to do it later in the morning.

* * *

After running around the school a few times, Setsuna was feeling even worse about fleeing the dorm room than she had in the first place. It wasn't like she hadn't had embarrassing conversations with Tsukuyomi before, and it wasn't like she'd never been trapped—

Setsuna and tightened her grip on Yūnagi, fighting off the embarrassing rush of panic flooding her senses.

She should have just put up with the noise. It wasn't like she was incapable of sleeping through it. It was incredibly annoying, and Tsukuyomi might've woken up if it continued, but she should have just let the girl suffer. Her sleep was _always_ disturbed. That was nothing new.

Setsuna sighed. Out here—without Tsukuyomi grinning at her—where she could feel the breeze against her face and see how unending the sky was, leaving like that seemed ridiculous.

She walked over to a nearby bench and sat down.

She couldn't say she hated Tsukuyomi as much now as she did a few weeks ago, but she was starting to really resent how much sleep the girl was costing her. It was incredibly unfair that of the two of them, the person with incredibly disturbed sleep was the one getting the most rest.

There had to be something she could do about that.

"Setsuna-san!"

Setsuna looked down the path her stress relief had brought her to. Asuna was running towards her, waving her hand.

"Hey! What are you doing out so early?"

"Just—exercising. What about you, Asuna-san? I thought you slept in on Sundays." Setsuna could dimly remember Konoka telling her that. Something about a job?

Asuna grimaced. "Yeah, usually. But Negi wasn't sleeping too well, so he ended up waking me up." Her face darkened briefly, making Setsuna wonder if the other girl had an experience similar to her own. "I didn't really feel like going back to sleep after that, so I decided to go running." Asuna joined her on the bench. "But hey, you didn't really answer my question. Why were you up so early to begin with?"

"I had the same problem as you."

"Did you?" Asuna frowned. A vindictive gleam flashed in her eyes. "The psycho isn't causing you trouble, is she?"

Setsuna shook her head quickly before Asuna got any ideas. "No, nothing like that. Well actually yes, I suppose she is, but it isn't like she's going out of her way to cause trouble. Her sleeping habits are just—peculiar. It's hard to get used to."

"Figures," Asuna muttered darkly. "She can't make anything easy."

Setsuna smiled a little at that, privately agreeing with the assessment. The way Tsukuyomi acted sometimes, it almost seemed like she lived and breathed to cause the people around her as much trouble as possible.

"Speaking of that, I hate to bring it up, but aren't you supposed to be keeping an eye on her at all times?"

"Technically, yes, but it's probably safe to leave her on her own for a while." Of course, that's what she thought last week too, and she came back to their room to find Tsukuyomi covered in her own blood, but—

Setsuna suddenly felt really, really stupid about overreacting the way she did.

"You know, I should probably get back."

Asuna snickered. "Yeah, no telling what kind of trouble she'll get into without you around."

They both stood up and started walking towards the dorms, though Setsuna couldn't work out why Asuna was going back with her. She got her answer quickly enough.

"Konoka mentioned yesterday that she was going to invite you to have lunch in our room today."

"Really?" Setsuna asked. A little spark of happiness inside her ignited, and she found herself grinning broadly.

Asuna smiled back. "Yeah, really. I guess you'll have to bring Four-Eyes with you, but she thought it would be nice to spend some more time together. I know we have Eva's resort, but that isn't really the same. We're usually training too hard to talk or anything." Asuna hesitated slightly. "And—you know, Konoka won't say it, but I think she's starting to miss being able to spend time with you."

Setsuna flinched. "I haven't meant to spend less time with her, it's just—"

"Tsukuyomi, yeah. Don't worry about it, she knows. It's just hard for her to think about it logically all the time since she loves you so much."

Asuna winked, and Setsuna felt her face go hot.

* * *

"Do we have to?"

Tsukuyomi followed Setsuna along down the hallway, pouting.

"I thought you'd be happy to be allowed to leave the room on a weekend?" Setsuna's lips twitched, clearly holding back a smile. "And yes."

Tsukuyomi sighed and started staring at the parts of the floor her feet were passing over.

The world, she decided, hated her. It was so obvious now. First, it let her fight with Setsuna end in a draw with nobody dead. Then her survival guaranteed that she'd be imprisoned. _Then_ the most difficult seal in the world to break was placed on her so she wouldn't escape, and thanks to her prolonged stay at Mahora, she realized she was in love with someone she really, really wanted to kill (though she couldn't quite work out just how bad the love part of that was).

And now, she was being forced to endure lunch with the Konoe girl.

Tsukuyomi couldn't work out how she had piled up so much poor karma. True, she used to murder people, and maybe enjoyed it a little more than was really suitable for such a distasteful act, but she hadn't done that in years. Now, she always made sure to kill people for reasons beyond just wanting them dead.

…Granted, she'd come close with Konoka, but nothing actually happened, and just that one act couldn't possibly be enough to bring her so much grief. Besides, if that was the root of it all, wouldn't the world want to keep her away from Konoka?

Tsukuyomi wanted to kill something. She wanted to kill something very, very badly, and she wished Setsuna didn't have such a solid grip on Yūnagi. Did she really have to put up with this? Couldn't she just stay in the room and try finding something she could use to pick locks?

Something told her that Setsuna probably wouldn't consider that an appropriate use of her time.

Tsukuyomi sighed and gazed gloomily over at her Senpai. Setsuna was smiling, and there was an undeniable bounce in her step as she walked. She was obviously very happy about getting to spend extra time with her partner.

That settled it. When she got out, Tsukuyomi was murdering Konoe Konoka.

It was bad enough she had to watch Setsuna staring at her every time they were in the same classroom. Yes, Setsuna clearly liked Konoka. That was painfully obvious, but did she have to have it thrown in her face all the time?

Weekends were horribly boring and made her feel claustrophobic enough to delight in walking to class on Mondays, but… it was just her and Setsuna. Having lunch in Konoe's room meant that it was her and Setsuna and Negi-kun and the princess and Konoka.

She liked Negi well enough, and being around the princess had its uses, but she liked being alone with Setsuna.

Tsukuyomi came to a halt when she realized there was a wall a couple feet in front of her feet. She looked up at the door glumly. They had arrived. Oh goody.

"Tsukuyomi?"

"Yes Senpai?"

Setsuna had her serious face on again instead of a smile. Tsukuyomi's mood brightened a little. "I know you don't want to be here, but please behave yourself. I know you're capable of control when you really want to be, so…"

Another point against the pleasures of love. Setsuna was looking at her with the most pathetic expression Tsukuyomi had ever seen on her Senpai's face, and ridiculously enough, that seemed to mean she couldn't say no to this request.

"Fine," Tsukuyomi muttered. "I'll behave."

Setsuna smiled at her. "Thank you." Then she rapped her knuckles against the door and Tsukuyomi resigned herself to soon acting politely around the girl she dearly wanted to murder.

Konoka opened the door quickly, and the murderous thoughts only grew when Tsukuyomi had to watch her hug Setsuna hello. Setsuna seemed far too happy at the physical contact.

When Konoka finally let go of Setsuna, she smiled a little stiffly at Tsukuyomi, who really did try to smile back. "Tsukuyomi-san, hello."

"Good afternoon Konoka-sama. Thank you for inviting us to lunch," Tsukuyomi said mechanically. She could see Setsuna rolling her eyes, but her Senpai didn't actually say anything, and Konoka didn't seem to notice anything odd.

This was going to be a long lunch.

* * *

When Konoka started picking up the dishes, Setsuna immediately volunteered to help, mostly to spend time with her partner, but it also occurred to her that she wouldn't get caught in the crossfire of Tsukuyomi and Asuna's impending argument.

Tsukuyomi had done an excellent job of behaving herself—when it came to covering up her obvious dislike of Konoka. She was a little less excellent about keeping herself from annoying Asuna. Setsuna didn't know why Tsukuyomi was so enthusiastic about bothering her friend, and she was sure she didn't want to know, but she wished Tsukuyomi was better at restraining herself.

Konoka leaned against the counter, biting her lip to hold back her laughter at the sounds coming from the table. It seemed one thing Asuna and Tsukuyomi could both agree on was that they didn't want Negi trying to calm their tempers.

Not that Tsukuyomi was really objecting to anything other than Negi trying to ruin her fun. Setsuna sighed. Oh well. It was still going better than she had any right to hope for.

"Thank you for coming over," Konoka said warmly. "This is nice."

Setsuna gestured over at the arguing pair. "Really?"

Konoka nodded. "Really. I know we're around each other a lot, but it feels like we haven't had fun like this in a while. Probably since the day we made our pactio. I've missed you."

Setsuna felt her chest tighten at the way Konoka was looking at her. There was something warm and loving in those eyes, and she didn't know what to do about it. She looked away awkwardly, positive that her face was glowing bright red.

She felt a hand slip into her own, and she squeezed it softly, too embarrassed to react in any other way. Somehow, without even looking at her, she could feel Konoka smiling.

"Thank you, Set-chan," she whispered.

Setsuna just nodded faintly and held onto Konoka's hand for dear life.

* * *

Setsuna sat against Tsukuyomi's bed, listening to the girl shivering and whimpering in her sleep. Things really were getting worse. Even without bumping into the bed or the wall she had managed to make enough noise to wake Setsuna up. And it was still relatively early.

If she wanted any sleep tonight, she needed to think of some way to keep Tsukuyomi from shivering.

She'd figured out a way to do that this morning, hadn't she?

Setsuna pressed her forehead into her knees, feeling pressure starting to build up behind her ears. Tsukuyomi. Why did Tsukuyomi have to make everything so complicated?

Only this wasn't complicated, it was simple, and the idea made her feel like she was going to die from embarrassment.

Setsuna shifted her head so she could see Tsukuyomi's shivering form on the bed. At least tonight she wasn't sleeping so close to the wall. That would help.

Closing her eyes, Setsuna reached out her arm and wrapped her hand around the crook of Tsukuyomi's elbow.

* * *

Tsukuyomi woke up with the oddest feeling of contentment and warmth buzzing in her veins. Dizzily, she opened her eyes and reached about for her glasses so she could identify the source of the wondrous feeling. By the time she managed to get the lenses over her eyes, she almost felt awake.

She looked down at her arm, where the warmth seemed to be coming from, and suddenly felt certain that she knew what a heart attack felt like, because nothing else could be capable of stopping her heart so effectively.

Tsukuyomi stared at Setsuna's hand around her arm, feeling a blind sort of terror that she'd never wanted to know violating her senses.

Setsuna couldn't be touching her.

She couldn't touch Setsuna without wanting to kill her.

_I don't want her dead I don't want her dead_

Tsukuyomi could feel herself starting to hyperventilate, the memory of what happened the last time Setsuna touched her raging through her mind. She did not want to feel like that again, no she did not—

"Tsukuyomi?"

Her head jerked away from the hand on her arm and she found herself looking into Setsuna's eyes. Some of her fear trickled away, and she tried to grab onto her common sense again. She specifically avoided looking at the area where their bodies were touching.

Then she realized something.

All that fear, all that panic… but all she could feel was Setsuna's warmth.

Tsukuyomi's breathing started to even out. She kept her eyes locked on Setsuna's, wondering if either of them was remembering to blink. She could feel the hand around her elbow tighten just a little.

_Has… she ever touched me like this?_

Tsukuyomi thought back as far as she could. Every time… even that first time… how brief had it been? Setsuna barely touched her before all of her skin was touching the bandage. And last time… last time the touch was more solid, wasn't it?

But still—it was still very abrupt, wasn't it? And intense. It had all completely overwhelmed her.

Tsukuyomi looked down at her elbow, taking in the careful way Setsuna's hand was gripping her. It was gentle. And constant. Not abrupt at all. Just—there. Warm. Soft.

"I—sorry, I just—you were shivering too much," Setsuna muttered.

"It's—it's not a problem." Oddly enough. Tsukuyomi's eyes drifted back to her Senpai's reddening face. She gulped, suddenly feeling as if the warmth from Setsuna's hand wasn't enough. "I don't suppose you'd mind sharing my bed to help me with that little issue?"

"_**No**_."

Setsuna's voice trembled a little, and Tsukuyomi found herself wondering back to the incident that first woke her up in the morning. Setsuna had bolted away from the beds and out the door so quickly… She glanced over at the nest of sheets Setsuna usually slept on, and it clicked.

"I suppose it makes sense that a bird doesn't want to be caged."

Setsuna visibly tensed, but didn't say anything to confirm or deny it. Tsukuyomi sighed and closed her eyes, focusing on the warmth that was doing almost nothing to sate her desire for it by now. She slipped her glasses off and placed them on top of her pillow. Then she rolled off the bed, keeping Setsuna's hand firmly attached to her and landing on Setsuna's lap.

Setsuna jumped, nearly dislodging Tsukuyomi. "What—what do you—I—Tsukuyomi!" she stammered.

Tsukuyomi twitched a little at the loss of Setsuna's hand on her, almost worried that the absence of that one touch would make everything come undone, but then she felt the rest of Setsuna's body close to her. She relaxed, burying her head into Setsuna.

Warmth. That comfortable warmth was completely surrounding her.

Her Senpai seemed practically stunned into silence at the action, and it took several minutes for the tension in Setsuna's body to relax. Setsuna rested her head back against the bed and placed her hands on the floor.

Tsukuyomi opened her eyes and looked up at the blur of Setsuna's face.

"Hey, Senpai?"

"Y-yeah?"

Tsukuyomi thought for a second, remembering what Mana had warned her about, before shrugging and saying it anyway. "I like you."

Setsuna froze, and Tsukuyomi found it very easy to imagine her eyes widening comically. She smiled a little and decided to spare Setsuna the stress of coming up with an answer.

"But you don't like me, do you Senpai?"

"…Sorry."

Tsukuyomi nodded, ignoring how much Setsuna's answer stung. Instead, she curled closer to Setsuna's exquisite warmth, letting it lull her to sleep.


	12. Day 23

AN: **Important Information** this time around instead of just random babbling. November is coming up, aka National Novel Writing Month. If you know where I'm going with this, great, just skip onto the story. If you don't, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is basically a challenge to write 50,000 words in a month (a link to their website can be found in my profile). I participate every year, but unlike previous years, I have an unfinished story that I've been working on. This one.

So for the entire month of November, I'm not going to touch this story. That means that optimistically, an update will show up sometime in the middle of December. Realistically, this could be the last chapter of the year.

Enjoy.

**

* * *

Day 23**

* * *

"_I like you."_

Those words had been ringing in Setsuna's ears for hours now.

She didn't know what to do about them.

All the good things about her watching over Tsukuyomi, all the bad things—somehow, this possibility had never occurred to her. She knew that Tsukuyomi viewed her a little differently than she viewed most people, but Tsukuyomi killed most people. Despite everything, Setsuna was still alive.

Their relationship was unique.

But—_like_?

Weren't they supposed to be enemies?

Granted, her loathing for the girl had clearly never been mutual—Tsukuyomi never looked anything but delighted when they encountered each other, which probably should have told her something—but they were still on opposite sides, weren't they? Not that Tsukuyomi really had a side anymore, what with Fate being dead, but—

They had tried to _kill_ each other, and only a matter of minutes had kept them from succeeding.

Didn't any of that _matter_?

Setsuna looked down hopelessly at the peacefully sleeping girl in her lap. Apparently not to Tsukuyomi. If it did, she never would have said—

Maybe she was just misunderstanding the situation. Tsukuyomi couldn't possibly feel that way about her, could she? Maybe she just considered Setsuna a friend instead of something—deeper. Just because she had that look in her eyes when she said it didn't mean that she really felt _that_ way.

Right?

Even in her head, Setsuna couldn't quite convince herself to believe that.

Because right then—when Tsukuyomi said those words, the way she looked at Setsuna—

She shut her eyes tightly, feeling an all-too familiar heat building in her cheeks.

That—that was the way Setsuna looked at Konoka. And to her, Konoka was so much more than just a friend. Konoka was her best friend, her _partner_, and her—her most important person. The person she would gladly die for.

But was Tsukuyomi even capable of feeling something like that for another person?

Setsuna had never felt so utterly lost in her life. She was completely out of her depth. While she'd be the first to admit she was best suited for dealing with Tsukuyomi, she was the last one any sane person would consider competent with feelings.

The fairly obvious thought on Tsukuyomi's lack of sanity flashed through her mind, and she shoved it away guiltily.

This would all be so much easier if she didn't care about Tsukuyomi's feelings. A few weeks ago, Setsuna wouldn't have even flinched at the idea of Tsukuyomi liking her. It would just be one more thing about the girl that made her uncomfortable. Now though…

She just didn't hate Tsukuyomi enough to brush off her feelings like that. Even if Tsukuyomi obviously knew that Setsuna wasn't anywhere close to sharing her feelings and probably never would be, ignoring them just didn't feel right.

Setsuna sighed and leaned her head back on Tsukuyomi's bed, staring at the top bunk and wondering how on earth she was supposed to deal with this situation. She started when Tsukuyomi reacted to the slight movement, pulling her closer with an impossibly tight grip that left Setsuna wondering if her ribs were going to survive the night.

Wincing, Setsuna placed her hands around Tsukuyomi's and delicately tried to detach them from her waist. Unfortunately, it didn't work precisely as planned. Tsukuyomi quickly found something new to latch onto, and when Setsuna looked down properly, she realized that she was now in the very awkward position of holding Tsukuyomi's hands while she slept.

The thought of that alone was enough to send blood rushing to her cheeks.

Completely unconscious and Tsukuyomi was _still_ managing to drive her crazy. That struck Setsuna as incredibly unfair, especially since Tsukuyomi was the only reason she was still awake. She scowled at the utterly content girl lying on top of her, mustering up all the resentment she possibly could.

Only... when she actually looked at Tsukuyomi, sleeping properly for the first time in weeks—Setsuna could feel her glare melting off her face. Tsukuyomi was breathing so slowly that it was almost worrying, but she had a tiny, contented smile on her face, and her hands were soft and warm around Setsuna's own.

This was probably as innocent as a killer like Tsukuyomi ever looked.

Suddenly feeling like she was staring at something she shouldn't, Setsuna yanked her eyes back to examining the top bunk and tried to forget about the sleeping girl in her lap.

Her efforts weren't as effective as she would have liked. The pressure against her hands was incredibly distracting.

For no logical reason that she could trace the action back to, Setsuna started to babble. "I really am sorry," she muttered awkwardly. "You're right about me not liking you. But—" she gulped "—I don't hate you."

* * *

Tsukuyomi woke up to the most peculiar feeling of being warm. Not quite fully awake, she spent the first few seconds after opening her eyes wondering who had been so considerate as to spill their blood on her while she was sleeping.

Then she remembered.

Wishing she could just blink away the blurriness, Tsukuyomi detached her hand from whatever it was holding and groped around on the bed for her glasses. It took an annoying few seconds, but she managed to find them and put them on with a minimal amount of fuss.

To her surprise, she was immediately treated to the pleasant sight of a sleeping Setsuna.

Whose hand she had just let go of.

Tsukuyomi stared for an indeterminate amount of time, trying to figure out if she was dreaming. Bloodless though it was, she was having a very hard time imagining why else Setsuna would hold her hands.

She dropped that line of thought carelessly and slid her free hand back over Setsuna's.

Warm.

So very, very warm.

She nestled her head closer to Setsuna's chest, listening to her Senpai's heartbeat. To think she hadn't even tried to touch Setsuna like this before. She wouldn't be making that mistake again—this comfort was beyond anything she'd ever felt, and she didn't think she cared to ever let it go.

That would probably cause problems when she finally got around to breaking the Seal. This and that and everything; Setsuna seemed to live to give her reasons to stay put and behave herself like a good little girl.

Setsuna would probably be pleased to know that.

Tsukuyomi didn't think she would be telling her.

And no matter how nice this was—with the way things were now, she had no intention of staying put.

She looked up at Setsuna's sleeping face, contemplating that for a moment. She wondered if there was any way to make Setsuna consider removing the Seal and letting her roam free.

Probably not.

Even if she explained that she was very likely to stay in contact with Setsuna and visit often, Setsuna would most likely have a huge problem with letting the person she was responsible for do whatever she pleased without supervision.

Her escape was going to be a very awkward affair indeed.

Tsukuyomi watched some of Setsuna's hair flutter across her face. Curious, she moved her hand once again and brushed the stray strands away. She kept her fingers against Setsuna's cheek, watching them trail naturally over her Senpai's features.

Setsuna really did have soft skin. Soft, smooth, and white, it would be so easy to cut into her and never stop. Tsukuyomi could easily imagine what her Senpai would look like in such a state, and it was far from unappealing.

She pushed the thoughts away before they went somewhere she couldn't follow.

Setsuna stirred a little under her fingertips, and Tsukuyomi reluctantly pulled back her hand. She wasn't particularly interested in having her Senpai jerking away from her the second she regained consciousness.

Tsukuyomi sighed and settled in to enjoy the few minutes she had before Setsuna woke up and realized they were late for school.

* * *

The second Setsuna opened her eyes, she knew something was wrong. Besides the unusual weight on top of her, the room was far too bright for so early in the morning. At least half of it should have still been dark because the sun didn't rise quickly enough for it to be up all the way before class—

Setsuna jumped to her feet in shock, practically throwing Tsukuyomi off of her in her hurry to stand up.

"What time is it?"

Tsukuyomi pouted at her from her position on the floor, rubbing her arms. "Was that really necessary?"

"Sorry," Setsuna said distractedly, stepping over her standard bedding and over to the closet to fling the doors open and grab a uniform. "Wait—how long have you been up?"

"Only a few minutes." Tsukuyomi stood up and joined Setsuna in rifling through the closet with an obvious lack of enthusiasm. "Do we have to go to class? We could just spend the day here."

Setsuna arranged herself so the closet doors were partially blocking her body and started undressing. "You hate being locked in here."

"Usually, yes."

Setsuna's fingers slipped trying to button up her shirt and she didn't quite dare to ask what had changed. She just focused on getting dressed so that they could rush to class and hopefully avoid making a spectacle of themselves.

She needed an alarm clock.

Setsuna finished dressing at the speed of light and staggered out of the closet, bumping into a somehow-completely-dressed Tsukuyomi on her way to the door. She chanced a look back at the window and cringed. They were going to be extremely late.

"Setsuna-senpai?"

"Yes?" Setsuna slipped her shoes on, preparing to sprint out the door, when she felt the familiar sensation of Tsukuyomi's hand in hers and she froze. Her heartbeat abnormally loud, Setsuna slowly raised her head to meet Tsukuyomi's eyes.

She didn't know what she expected to see, but it certainly wasn't Tsukuyomi looking at her with something approaching hesitance. "Tsu-Tsukuyomi?"

The expression vanished so quickly that Setsuna wanted to believe she had imagined it. Tsukuyomi smiled easily and waved both of their hands in the air.

"Since you were kind enough to keep me warm last night, I was wondering if you'd mind continuing the favor."

Setsuna stared at the girl, certain that her brain had stopped functioning. "Um. You—you only shiver at night."

"That doesn't mean that's the only time I'm cold," Tsukuyomi responded casually, completely at odds with the strange emotions Setsuna could see swirling in her gaze. "It's just that, to me, everything's cold. You're the only one who's warm, Setsuna-senpai. All of you, not just your blood."

Some the teasing Setsuna was more accustomed to slipped in with the final words, but looking at Tsukuyomi, Setsuna could see something the return of the hesitance that reminded her an awful lot of vulnerability.

She didn't think she could say no to it.

Getting the sense that she was letting far too many things go the way Tsukuyomi wanted them to, Setsuna withdrew her hand from Tsukuyomi's and stood up straight. "I'm not going to hold your hand all day."

Taking the words as an invitation, Tsukuyomi grinned mischievously and latched herself onto Setsuna's arm. "You'll sleep with a girl but won't even hold her hand the next day?"

Face burning, Setsuna glared at her charge. Tsukuyomi brightly ignored her. "We have class, right?"

* * *

It was disconcerting, how used she'd gotten to being warm in that short time resting against her Senpai's body.

Tsukuyomi had not expected Setsuna waking up and moving away from her to be such a shock. Unpleasant, yes, but the sudden jolt of loss that went through her when Setsuna got to her feet came out of nowhere.

And the return of the cold had done absolutely nothing to make her feel better about the situation.

Leading to Tsukuyomi _asking_ for her Senpai's presence.

Love was one thing. Being willing to put up with not immediately breaking free of her prison because Setsuna was another. But she did not like the feeling of being so dependent on someone, even if it was Setsuna. It made her susceptible to something far too close to fear for comfort.

And… had the cold always crept on this fast when she didn't kill someone for a while?

Trying not to think too much on it, Tsukuyomi tightened her grip on Setsuna's arm, watching the conflicted emotions flit across Setsuna's face in amusement. At least Setsuna had been willing to comply with her wishes. She appeared incredibly unhappy about it, but willing was willing.

Sighing happily, Tsukuyomi walked the final steps to their classroom and opened the door, completely ignoring Setsuna's stuttered attempts at some manner of warning.

The faint noise of their classmates that she had heard through the door came to a complete halt when they entered the room, and Tsukuyomi thought that she might now have a very good idea of what Setsuna was trying to warn her about.

The entire room was now focused on her arm around her Senpai, and whatever lesson poor Negi was trying to teach had clearly been forgotten.

Their teacher smiled at them, apparently oblivious to the unusual attention they were already receiving.

"Tsukuyomi-san, Setsuna-san! I was starting to worry that you were sick!"

Setsuna smiled tightly back at Negi. "Sorry Negi-sensei, we just—slept in a little late."

"Oh is _that_ what they're calling it now?" Tsukuyomi heard one of the girls snicker. She thought it might be the artist girl, but she couldn't be sure.

Setsuna's arm stiffened and Tsukuyomi found herself being practically dragged over to their seats. She sat down without a word, quietly awaiting the carnage their presence was sure to unleash.

"So were all those rumors about Sakurazaki-san's ex-girlfriend trying to steal her away from Konoka during the school trip true after all?" one of the mini-ninjas asked excitedly.

"Aw, no fair, I had my money on her having no experience!"

"Wait, _you_ bet money on that? They must have just started dating then."

"So that's why they spend so much time locked in their room…"

On and on the comments went, getting more and more outlandish with each new contributor. Even some of the girls who knew Tsukuyomi from their magical adventures started to join in, apparently unable to resist jumping into the fray.

At the front of the classroom, Negi was just looking horribly confused as his lesson plan crashed around his ears.

Finally, just as Setsuna was looking like she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole, the Class Rep slammed her hand down on her desk to quiet the excitable class.

"Of course Sakurazaki-san wouldn't fornicate with that—that—wretch!"

There was a very audible silence as everyone processed their class representative's words, broken only by the coughing fit someone in the back row seemed to be having.

Then the redhead next to the Class Rep leaned back to address Setsuna directly. "So are you two dating?"

"No!" three people immediately shouted. Tsukuyomi winced, but she couldn't entirely fight back her curiosity.

Setsuna, who seemed to be fighting a losing battle against spontaneous combustion, at least looked guilty about her rapid response, but the princess looked so horribly revolted that Tsukuyomi felt a bit insulted, and Konoka just looked as surprised as anyone else over her outburst.

The vampire in the back wasn't even trying to stifle her laughter anymore.

* * *

The second class ended, Asuna dragged Tsukuyomi out of the room looking so annoyed that Setsuna wondered if she should worry for Tsukuyomi's health.

She rubbed her arm and looked down at the floor, trying to restore the circulation that Tsukuyomi's constant attention had pretty much stopped.

She didn't think she was letting Tsukuyomi touch her outside of their room ever again. Even if some cruel twist of fate meant that she was the only one Tsukuyomi could feel warmth from without bleeding her dry, she was not going to force herself through another class as chaotic as this had been. She was used to their classmates being a little more rambunctious than was strictly normal, but she was not in any hurry to have that energy focused on her again.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Konoka take a few steps forward. Setsuna looked up nervously, unsure why she felt the strong desire to kneel on the floor and start apologizing and explaining that it really wasn't what it looked like.

"So, you and Tsukuyomi-san are getting closer," Konoka said awkwardly. For the first time in Setsuna's memory, she looked as uncomfortable as Setsuna felt.

"It's not what it looks like," she said in a rush. "We didn't do anything, I was just—"

She trailed off, not having any idea how to phrase what she had 'just' been doing without telling Konoka about Tsukuyomi, and she didn't think Tsukuyomi would appreciate that. More than that, revealing someone's vulnerability like that just didn't sit right with her.

Leaving her without the faintest clue how to repair whatever damage she had caused.

"We didn't do anything," she repeated.

"I heard the first time, Set-chan." Konoka smiled a little, and a few of the knots in Setsuna's stomach untied themselves. She took a few steps closer and placed her hands on Setsuna's shoulders. "And I know you wouldn't do anything with Tsukuyomi-san. It was still a little shocking for you to come in like—that."

"I'm sorry," Setsuna said automatically.

Konoka shook her head. "Don't be. You have nothing to be sorry for Set-chan. And besides," she smiled a bit brighter, "it's good that you're getting more sleep than you were."

Setsuna smiled gratefully at her partner. Then she blinked, noticing a look in Konoka's eyes that she hadn't seen since…

"_Pactio!"_

Konoka's hands were around her neck, tugging softly, and Setsuna felt herself giving in to the pressure. Almost against her will, her eyes were fluttering shut, and she could feel Konoka's breath against her lips. Her hands fell to Konoka's waist, holding her close.

Warning bells were going off in her head, telling her that they were too close, that this wasn't proper behavior for a bodyguard—but for once Setsuna found it was blissfully easy to push those worries away. There was only her and Kono-chan.

But that fantasy faded away with the classroom door being slammed open.

Setsuna jumped away so quickly at the noise that she almost fell over the desk behind her. Konoka's reaction, though equally startled, wasn't quite as spectacular, but she still pulled away faster from Setsuna than she ever had in their lives.

Blushing heavily, and not having anywhere near enough courage to look at her partner after determining her safety, Setsuna looked over to see who had walked in on them.

Asuna was standing in the doorway, just as red as either of them. To Setsuna's relief, Tsukuyomi was nowhere to be seen. Asuna opened and closed her mouth a few times before coughing awkwardly and choosing not to stare at them.

"Uh, we should really be, um, going off to our next class now. Places to go, things to learn."

Setsuna thought she saw Konoka nod at that, but she was more focused on keeping her knees from giving out and trying to stop her heart from beating so fast. It was loud enough that there was no way the other two people in the room didn't hear it.

Konoka cleared her throat and picked up her bag. "Yes, we really shouldn't be late, Set-chan. You were already late for one class today. You don't want to get in trouble."

Setsuna nodded blankly and grabbed her things. She wondered if she could make it to the door before passing out. She waited for Konoka to make her way over to Asuna before she trusted her legs not to collapse on her.

Outside, Tsukuyomi was waiting on the other side of the hall with a very disgruntled expression. Setsuna found some trace of resolve and walked over to her.

"You don't get to touch me outside of our room anymore."

* * *

"So what are the sleeping arrangements going to be tonight?" Tsukuyomi asked cheerfully.

Her beloved Senpai was standing between the beds and her nest, not looking at them or Tsukuyomi. She'd been doing that since her conversation with Konoka, which was irritating, but right now it was probably a good sign. At least she wasn't saying that Tsukuyomi would be going back to her bed alone.

"I'm not going to share your bed," she mumbled.

Tsukuyomi shrugged. "I know that, but that still doesn't tell me what we're going to do." Setsuna stayed silent, her eyes shifting about until they settled on her nest. "I don't mind sleeping on the floor."

Setsuna nodded and made some movement that seemed to be a halfhearted attempt at flipping the sheets aside. Tsukuyomi sighed and walked over to it. Slipping easily under the sheets, she reached out for Setsuna's intoxicatingly warm hand and pulled her down.

Her Senpai came close to tripping herself, but she managed to roll over and get under the sheets, unfortunately avoiding the option of resting on top of Tsukuyomi.

Tsukuyomi smiled and buried her head into Setsuna's side, relaxing completely into her Senpai's tense—but so unbelievably soft and warm—body.

"This—this isn't going to happen every night," Setsuna muttered weakly.

Tsukuyomi didn't think she believed that. But either way, it didn't matter. Right now, they were going to bed together.

It was nice.


	13. Day 29

AN: Back with something of a bang apparently. This chapter somehow got very busy.  
**

* * *

Day 29**

* * *

Tsukuyomi had never realized how desirable being stuck in their room all weekend was before the Konoe girl started requesting their presence for pointlessly social events like lunch. Setsuna and her much more annoying partner had been acting strangely around each other all week, but this was by far the worst consequence of the strangeness.

Twitchy, cold, and roused from Setsuna's nest much sooner than she would have liked, she gazed imploringly up at her Senpai.

"Do we have to go again? We just went last week."

Setsuna at least looked like she had some idea of how opposed to the idea Tsukuyomi was—and possibly felt the slightest bit of guilt over forcing her into it—but that clearly wasn't enough to change her mind about leaving. "Yes, we have to. I promised Kono-chan we'd come by every week—"

Tsukuyomi's ears caught the change in title, but she focused determinedly on the more pressing issue. "This is going to happen every _week_?"

She was pretty sure she was supposed to accept Setsuna's stony silence as a yes.

Sulking a little, Tsukuyomi wandered over to the door and obediently began putting on her shoes. Slowly. Behind her, she could hear Setsuna sigh quietly. Tsukuyomi smiled a little at the noise she probably wasn't supposed to hear. She was about to ask if she was really causing her Senpai all that much trouble when—

It was such a small thing.

Insignificant compared to the touches they'd shared recently.

Setsuna's bare hand brushed against hers for less than a fraction of a second.

Tsukuyomi barely registered what was actually happening. All she knew was that suddenly, she felt as if her entire body was on fire. It was a feeling she had almost forgotten with Setsuna's gentle, constant warmth, but she quickly fell back into it, her focus narrowing and feeling nothing but the blistering heat threatening to consume her whole.

The force of it had her gasping for air, and Tsukuyomi could just barely feel her hands dropping to her sides, searching for some weapon.

She wanted blood.

Setsuna was so close.

Tsukuyomi closed her eyes and let the burning heat spiral into ecstasy as she imagined—remembered—what that blood felt like against her skin. Against her lips.

_So warm. So tasty. What a delight it would be to taste every last drop, licking her dry until she has nothing left—_

Dim warning bells were going off in her head, but they seemed so quiet—so trivial next to the blaze running rampant across her very soul. What could it possibly hurt to entertain this pleasure even if it could just be for a moment longer?

_I __**want**__ her. To tear into her pure flesh, listening to her screams as her blood drips from her every pore._

_To __**taste**__ her. To brush against her skin and __**taste**__—_

_To feel her tremble beneath me as I take her completely—to hear her final heartbeat—to kill—_

The thought hammered its way into Tsukuyomi's head, making her knees go weak as some faint sense of clarity returned to her mind. Terror, sharp and cold, spiked its way through her veins.

_Nonononono._

_Not Setsuna. Not—_

"Tsukuyomi?"

All thoughts came to a screeching halt when Setsuna's hand gripped her shoulder.

A lazy, content warmth immediately overrode the burning and the cold, and Tsukuyomi felt herself leaning into her Senpai, desiring nothing more than to envelop herself in the sensation. Setsuna tensed in response to the movement, but slowly, almost painfully so, she brought up her other arm around Tsukuyomi. It wasn't quite a hug—Setsuna was still far too stiff for it to count—but it was close.

Tsukuyomi pressed herself firmly against Setsuna's warmth, listening to their heartbeats. Setsuna's was strong and steady, but her own was skipping wildly. She couldn't quite feel the fear it was responding to when her Senpai was holding her so close, but she could imagine it.

She tightened her grip on Setsuna.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," Tsukuyomi answered honestly. She was almost perfectly alright now. "But I'd prefer it if you didn't do that again. When you don't touch me properly, it makes me want to kill you." _Or rape you, but that's not really a problem._

Setsuna didn't say anything for a few seconds after that, but she didn't leave either.

"Is it getting worse?" she asked at last.

Now there was annoying question.

Tsukuyomi had done a very good job of ignoring how dependent she was growing on Setsuna's touch. If pushed, she would admit that lately knowing how spectacularly Setsuna was failing to keep her word that they wouldn't sleep together every night was the only thing keeping her from actively searching for something to cut herself with.

Her beloved Senpai was usually very good about not pushing, but if she actually bothered to pursue this particular line of questioning, they could end up having a very, very awkward conversation.

Tsukuyomi wanted to put that off for as long as possible.

But…

"It's fine when you hold me like this," she replied easily.

Setsuna pulled away just enough to meet her eyes. Tsukuyomi stared back, wondering at the intense focus and worry that had taken over her Senpai's expression. She waited for the inevitable question about her evasive wording patiently. She could never tire of being the sole object of Setsuna's attention, even if it was over something as unpleasant as this.

Then, surprisingly, Setsuna ripped her gaze away to stare at the floor. "Is it okay for you to be around other people right now?"

Tsukuyomi really should have taken that instant to talk her way out of spending lunch with Konoka and her merry roommates. The excuse was practically being handed to her, and she couldn't think of any reason why she would want to avoid using it.

At least, she couldn't until Setsuna stepped away.

Cold, unrelenting and freezing, took over her body, leaving her feeling worse than she had when she caught herself fantasizing about killing Setsuna. It was by far the most abrupt shift in temperature she'd dealt with all week, and she had to grasp Setsuna's hand just to keep herself from shivering.

Tsukuyomi nearly sighed in relief when the cold eased away again.

Then she realized what that meant.

She knew her tolerance had gone down quite a bit since the start of her imprisonment, probably thanks to the lack of interesting things to do. But for it to have gotten this bad…

It really was getting worse. Before coming to Mahora, she could have lasted—unhappily—for months without spilling blood if she had to. At this point, she could find enough victims to make it rain blood and it still wouldn't sate her need.

That was it then.

It was time to stop merely playing with the princess.

* * *

Setsuna told herself she wasn't worried.

She'd stopped believing that the third time she had to ask Konoka to repeat herself because she was too busy staring at Tsukuyomi to pay attention to much else. She almost wished that Tsukuyomi had convinced her to stay in their room at that point. At least then she wouldn't feel like she was neglecting Konoka. Things had been awkward between them since—since the—incident in the classroom, and she didn't want to make anything worse.

Drawing her attention back to her partner once again, Setsuna sipped her rapidly cooling tea and tried to remember what they were supposed to be talking about. She thought it might have something to do with a new recipe Konoka wanted to try, but she wasn't sure.

Unconsciously, her gaze drifted back to Tsukuyomi.

She couldn't help being distracted. Whatever was wrong with the girl, it was clearly getting worse. The desperate grip Tsukuyomi had on her hand confirmed that much. Setsuna had managed to detach her long enough to hide the connection from Konoka, but the second they sat down at the table, Tsukuyomi's hand snapped back into hers.

The same thing had happened in their room earlier.

It was, no matter how badly Setsuna wanted to say otherwise, very worrying. Tsukuyomi was even shivering during the day now. If things got any worse…

Setsuna didn't want to think about that.

Before she did anything drastic, she at least needed to talk someone who could confirm or deny her growing suspicions. Preferably someone not Evangeline. The vampire had taken to taunting her about her relationship with Tsukuyomi with great enthusiasm lately, and Setsuna didn't want to give Evangeline any encouragement.

"And then Negi-kun and I got married—"

Setsuna choked on her tea and jerked her head back around to gape at Konoka.

"_What_?"

Konoka smiled benignly. Next to her, Asuna was thumping Negi's back as the boy coughed tea from his lungs. "Konoka-san, that never happened!" he cried out, eyes wide and innocent.

Setsuna was slightly gratified to note that she wasn't the only one Konoka's words had shocked, but considering the pointed look her partner was giving her at the moment, she was more embarrassed than anything.

"Um, sorry Kono-chan."

The soft smile that was suddenly directed at her made Setsuna's heart skip a beat. She looked down, a familiar flush burning its way to her cheeks. Under the table, Tsukuyomi's hand tightened around hers.

"Four-eyes isn't keeping you up late, is she?" Asuna asked suspiciously. "It isn't like you to be this distracted, Setsuna-san."

Setsuna opened her mouth for a quick denial when Tsukuyomi neatly interjected, slipping herself into Setsuna's lap and smiling sweetly at Asuna. "And if I was keeping her up, how would that be any concern of yours, Princess?"

Setsuna face was burning so badly that she was quite sure her head was going to explode. She opened and shut her mouth, trying to find the words to dispute what Tsukuyomi was suggesting, before giving up and shoving Tsukuyomi off of her with a glare. Tsukuyomi pouted, but she quickly turned her attention back to Asuna. A small flick of her wrist kept their hands connected.

"It's my concern because I don't like my friends having to hang out with raging psychopaths," Asuna snapped, balling her fists above the table.

"Now, now, is that really proper manners for a princess?"

Asuna rose from the table, looking as if she wanted nothing more than to hit Tsukuyomi. "You're lucky you're powerless right now. If you weren't…" She left the threat hanging.

Strangely, Tsukuyomi didn't laugh the comment off like she normally would. A sharp brightness that Setsuna usually associated with bloodlust flashed in Tsukuyomi's eyes, and the girl started to get up, stopped only by Setsuna forcing her back to her seat.

"Tsukuyomi, _don't_."

Tsukuyomi kept her gaze locked on Asuna, whom Negi was attempting to convince to sit back down. She was smiling happily, but there was an edge to the look Setsuna didn't immediately recognize. It was entirely too familiar and made her blood run cold, but—

Then it came to her. It was the same expression Tsukuyomi wore when she went after Konoka in the middle of their fight to—encourage her.

Before Setsuna could fully grasp and panic over the implications of that, Konoka was up and gathering their plates, smiling as if nothing had happened. "You are still sleeping well, aren't you Set-chan?"

Relieved to have something besides Tsukuyomi to think about, Setsuna nodded and smiled up at her partner. "Yes."

"We both are," Tsukuyomi chimed in.

Setsuna sighed as Asuna's eye visibly twitched. Maybe listening to Tsukuyomi when she said she was perfectly fine with being around people was a bad idea.

No, Setsuna corrected herself, looking over at Tsukuyomi once again; it was a bad idea to believe her when she said she was fine at all. And instead of worrying over things like how painfully awkward spending time with Konoka had been lately, she should have pushed and asked if—

_Damn it._

Setsuna disentangled her hand from Tsukuyomi's and stood up, doing her best to ignore the startled and annoyed reaction the movement sparked. She focused on Konoka and joining her in gathering up the dishes. "I'll help you with that, Ojou-sama."

"Thank you, Set-chan," Konoka said brightly, moving quickly away from the table and over to the kitchen.

Setsuna followed a little more closely than was proper, but Konoka didn't seem to mind. She just turned around and waited patiently for Setsuna to sort out the thoughts that were probably embarrassingly obvious to someone who knew her as well as her partner.

That was made much harder when she realized that they had managed to avoid being this close to each other all week. The—incident in the classroom (not that anything had happened or anything would have happened without an interruption) had left them alternating between avoiding each other's eyes and being overly friendly, and even when they chose the latter, they still stayed more physically distant than usual.

"Set-chan?"

Setsuna realized abruptly that she'd been staring, and she looked back at their friends and Tsukuyomi with a blush staining her cheeks. "Sorry," she murmured.

Konoka giggled. "You really are distracted today. Did something happen?"

Setsuna sighed. "Not—exactly. I mean, yes, something did happen, it's just…"

It was just _what_?

She looked back at her partner. Maybe Konoka wasn't the best person to ask, but at this point, she couldn't just pretend that her suspicions were wrong or would go away. She had to at least try, and asking someone she trusted implicitly was a good start.

"Ojou-sama, do you know anyone besides Evangeline-san who might know what the side effects of the Ouroboros Seal are?" she asked quietly.

* * *

Tsukuyomi could tell that the princess and Negi hadn't been in this room much. Or ever, maybe. Despite Asuna entering before her, there was a slight hesitation in her step as she walked in, and Negi's curiosity as he looked around was open enough.

At another time, she might have cared about details like that.

Currently, she was more distracted by the uncomfortable chill and shivers that she couldn't quite contain. It was really no fair that Setsuna had to rip away so quickly—the cold always crept on faster when she did that.

And it didn't need any help.

Making Setsuna's sudden need to go off somewhere to do something important all the more annoying.

Tsukuyomi sighed and sat down on Setsuna's nest, imagining that she could still feel some of the earlier warmth. She knew now was the wrong time to complain about extra time with the princess, but what could her Senpai possibly have to do? She'd already had her meeting with the headmaster yesterday, and that was the only thing besides Konoka's annoying lunches that interfered with their weekends together.

_And if all goes well, there won't be many more of those._

_No, not now. That can be worried about later._

It was enough that she knew she couldn't put off her escape any longer. She didn't want to think about the emotional consequences just yet, and Setsuna's absence was doing nothing but drawing those to the front of her thoughts. It was frustrating and uncomfortable. She needed to leave, and the last thing she needed was to start wanting the impossible—to imagine what could happen if she managed to get Setsuna to be a little more lenient instead—

Thoughts like that simply weren't productive.

And really, Tsukuyomi told herself, Setsuna's sudden mysterious mission wasn't only bringing up bad thoughts. It meant she got to spend time with Asuna without her Senpai's supervision.

Who could possibly say that was anything but good?

Negi sat down across from her awkwardly, smiling as if he didn't know if he was supposed to be nice to her or not. Asuna stayed standing and leaned against the bunk beds, scowling. Clearly, watching over had not been on the princess' schedule.

Tsukuyomi smiled. That would certainly make this easier. More fun, too. "You could at least act like you don't mind being here, Princess."

Asuna's scowl darkened, but she kept her mouth clamped shut. Negi twitched, looking up at her uncomfortably. He did always seem to worry about how his students were getting along, Tsukuyomi noted fondly. One of the many things Fate had learned about the boy during their short rivalry: he responded delightfully when the people he was responsible for were in danger.

Such a shame Fate-han hadn't lived long enough to use that knowledge to maximize the thrill of their fights. He would've enjoyed that. Tsukuyomi knew she rather enjoyed taking advantage of her Senpai in that way.

Admittedly, disliking Konoka helped much with that, but there was nothing quite like the raw outrage written all over Setsuna's entire being when someone went after her partner. Even knowing that it was only Setsuna's—affection for the girl that caused that reaction couldn't ruin it.

Tsukuyomi wondered if being in love with Setsuna would keep her from indulging that pleasure. Regardless, she was going to murder the Konoe girl once she escaped, and there was no question that she'd be able to see how her Senpai reacted, but—

It wouldn't be the same, would it? Not when she couldn't kill Setsuna.

She'd have to work on finding some way around that. But first…

"Where do you sleep?"

Tsukuyomi blinked up at the suddenly sociable princess. She was eyeing the beds suspiciously, no doubt noticing that the top bunk didn't have bedding and the bottom one's sheets were draped over the nest on the floor.

"On the floor with Setsuna-senpai of course."

"And she actually agreed to that?" Asuna asked skeptically.

"Why wouldn't she?" So very many reasons to choose from, none of which Setsuna had actually used since they'd started sleeping together. She'd certainly tried a few times, but her halfhearted attempts never led to anything. Not that they would work to begin with. Tsukuyomi wasn't about to let go of her Senpai now that they were so close. She was already being forced into leaving sooner than she wanted.

"She hates you."

"Asuna-san—" Negi interjected. Asuna glared at him and he fell quiet with a resigned sigh while casting Tsukuyomi a sympathetic look she didn't understand.

Tsukuyomi had to sigh herself. "Come now, you can't actually prove that." Unless the princess bothered with asking Setsuna. Then it would be very easy to prove. "And that's an awfully rude thing to say. We've been getting along lately, haven't we?"

Asuna crossed her arms. "Not killing each other isn't the same as getting along. And the only reason you're managing that first one is because of the seal on you."

That was a little more sensitive than Tsukuyomi wanted. It was small, but she could feel some irritation growing in her.

"I'm not going to kill Setsuna-senpai."

"No," Asuna snapped, "you're just looking for an opening to molest her."

"Oh is that what's wrong now?" She honestly hadn't thought the princess was paying that much attention. Maybe her desire for Setsuna was more obvious than she thought. "You think I'm going to rape her in her sleep?"

"Yes!"

Or maybe the princess just distrusted her enough to always assume the worst. Honestly, how troublesome. Insulting, too. Setsuna was strong enough to match her without the Seal in place; with it, Tsukuyomi didn't even have the option of doing anything without her consent. Setsuna would kill her.

It was… annoying, somehow, that Asuna didn't realize that.

And besides that—

_Besides that…_

The fun she'd had with her Senpai in the Magical World wasn't appealing anymore. At least, not when her head was clear. Sometimes it was tempting to play with her a little, but her time of toying with Setsuna in that way was most likely over.

_It's frustrating, and I don't know how to go about getting it, but I want something more from Setsuna-senpai now._

She couldn't help but smile a little at the princess, doing very little to improve the girl's poor temper. It was nice to have a secret. Especially one that she could use to annoy Asuna so thoroughly.

* * *

As a general rule, Setsuna avoided Library Island. It was an aversion born of many hours wandering around, lost, when she was still shadowing Konoka. Despite her best efforts, the island was the one place she could never reliably follow her charge. Eventually, with the headmaster's assurances that Konoka would be safe, she had stopped trying.

So she was lucky to find Yue on the first floor.

Very lucky.

Setsuna would have preferred being lost for hours.

When she'd asked Konoka who might know about the Seal, she hadn't expected her partner to come up with such a simple solution. She'd expected—

Well.

Not something she could immediately follow through on.

Before she realized it, Setsuna was standing in front of the table Yue was sitting at with Nodoka and Haruna. Yue had her artifact out and was discussing the projections with her friends, giving Setsuna a few moments of peace before she was noticed.

It didn't feel like anywhere near enough.

Especially when Nodoka happened to glance up and her greeting attracted—other—attention.

"Setsuna-san! What are you doing here?"

"Yeah, aren't weekends your chance to have some fun with that girlfriend of yours?"

Setsuna felt her face flush as she stuttered out a denial. After saying it at least a dozen times in the past week, she no longer thought she could convince some of her more insistent classmates to drop the idea, but she put as much force as she could behind the words anyway. "Tsukuyomi's not my girlfriend, Haruna-san."

Haruna smirked evilly, and Setsuna quickly cut off any further pestering by addressing her reason for coming to the island.

"Uh, I'm actually here to ask Yue-san something."

All three of them looked surprised by that. Setsuna couldn't blame them; she didn't think she'd ever had a conversation with Yue, and she certainly hadn't sought the girl out like this.

Yue raised her eyebrows and put aside the juice box she was sipping. "Oh? What is it?"

Setsuna took a deep breath and nodded down at the artifact on the table. "I was—wondering if you wouldn't mind looking up the side effects of the Ouroboros Seal. Tsukuyomi's—I just want to make sure there's nothing I need to watch for."

She wasn't going to go into the specifics. A quiet, ashamed part of her soul didn't want them to know what she was looking for.

Yue, thankfully, went back to her artifact with nothing more than a skeptical frown, but Nodoka looked concerned. "Has something happened?" she asked hesitantly.

Setsuna could see her knuckles tightening around Yūnagi until they went white. "Not really."

Nodoka opened her mouth again, but Yue spoke up first.

"There don't appear to be many side effects of the Seal itself," she said. "Most seals are researched heavily so that any problems are dealt with before they're used officially. There have been some reports of people dying when it's removed too quickly, but those were mostly unofficial removals involving escaping prisoners. They were too desperate to do it properly. Ah—here's something."

Yue flipped the book around so that Setsuna could read it properly. "With some of the more experienced people it was used on, there were difficulties with prison conditions. Without internal use of their magic or ki, inmates were rendered incapable of warming themselves. The guards weren't prepared to pay extra attention to that, so there were quite a few casualties."

Setsuna concentrated on controlling her breathing.

She was right.

"Thank you, Yue-san," she whispered.

* * *

The funny thing, Setsuna thought, walking slowly down the hall to her room, was that it didn't change anything. The overbearing numbness in her chest wasn't something she could do anything about. Yes, she knew why Tsukuyomi was getting worse instead of just suspecting it now.

But she didn't trust Tsukuyomi enough to remove the Seal.

Setsuna stopped just short of her door and pressed her forehead against it, closing her eyes and tuning out the voices on the other side.

It wasn't fair that Tsukuyomi was suffering. Honestly, Setsuna hated it more than she would have thought possible when they left the Magical World. That was what kept her sleeping with the girl curled around her every night instead of forcing her back to her own bed.

But what was the alternative?

Setsuna didn't believe for half a second Tsukuyomi would let a lesser seal contain her for long. And after she escaped… Setsuna didn't want to imagine what Tsukuyomi would do after being unable to kill or fight anyone for over a month. A bloodbath was practically guaranteed.

So what should she do?

The sudden spike in volume in the room told her that now was not the time to figure it out.

Sighing, she opened the door and walked in. She was less than surprised to find that Asuna was the source of the noise. Tsukuyomi was sitting on the floor, looking positively delighted about whatever names Asuna was calling her. Negi was simply staring at the ceiling uncomfortably, and he smiled in obvious relief when he noticed Setsuna.

Tsukuyomi's attention was quickly captured too, and Setsuna found herself looking into the girl's eyes—staring. Staring and wondering despite herself if trusting Tsukuyomi would really be such a bad thing. It took her a few moments to realize what she was doing, and she quickly tore her gaze away and smiled awkwardly over at Asuna.

"Thank you for keeping an eye on her. I can take over from here."

Asuna threw one final glare towards the unaffected Tsukuyomi and marched towards the door. Negi followed her after a much politer farewell. After they put on their shoes, Asuna sighed and glanced despairingly at Setsuna.

"I know she charges a lot, but next time, ask Tatsumiya-san. I can probably pay if it's just a few hours, and your psycho roommate drives me crazy."

Setsuna winced. "Sorry about that, Asuna-san. Tatsumiya was very insistent about me not asking for her help with Tsukuyomi anymore." It was a little puzzling, since Setsuna couldn't remember asking Mana for help more than once, but the gunslinger had threatened to triple her normal rate.

"I can't imagine why." Asuna shook her head. "I'll leave her to you then. Good luck."

"See you tomorrow, Princess!"

Asuna stiffened, but she managed to not say anything. Considering the way her fist was twitching, it was quite the impressive feat. Setsuna moved to the side and let her friend stomp out of the room, sparing a second to shoot a reproving look at Tsukuyomi, who seemed perfectly happy ignoring it.

"Setsuna-san?"

Setsuna started guiltily as she realized she'd almost completely forgotten about Negi. He waved off her apologies, smiling oddly at her. His eyes flicked briefly towards Tsukuyomi, and his expression brightened, making Setsuna feel very confused.

"I know that Asuna-san and Konoka-san don't really like it, and it is a little strange, but I'm glad you and Tsukuyomi-san are friends now."

He made a swift exit, leaving Setsuna staring blankly at the empty space he had previously occupied.

Unbidden, her eyes fell back to Tsukuyomi, accidentally falling into another staring contest with the girl. For the first time outside of battle that Setsuna could remember, she seemed genuinely shocked. Setsuna couldn't blame her.

_I…_

_Friends?_


	14. Day 33

AN: So this is pretty late. Let's just say... a million things went wrong. And a sizable portion of this is very new territory for me.**

* * *

Day 33**

* * *

There was darkness everywhere. Setsuna couldn't even see her hands when she looked down, and all of her senses seemed—muted, somehow. She twisted her head around, searching for a light source. The entirely black atmosphere made her want to panic. She needed to find light before—

Something. Something bad.

What though?

Her eyes found blazing white feathers falling under her feet. She stared at them for a moment, watching as the unrelenting darkness infested them. It looked less black around the feathers. Almost red.

She leaned down and tried to grab the feathers, but her body refused to cooperate. Her head started turning again until she was looking straight at her wings. The darkness was also taking over their odd glow, and it was definitely red now. She tried to jerk her head away. She didn't want to look at the—

It was blood, wasn't it?

That reminded her of—

Who?

The name flitted through her mind briefly before something else distracted her.

Excruciating pain flashed through her back, and she tripped forward on legs she couldn't properly feel. Gasping, she reached through the air and grabbed Yūnagi. Her sword was already unsheathed, making it easy to spin around and slash through whatever had attacked her.

Blood dripped all the way down to the hilt, smearing her invisible hand.

"That's the right attitude, Senpai."

Shock burst in Setsuna's chest, and she gazed at her attacker—now victim—in horror. The girl in front of her smiled, seemingly oblivious to the gaping wound soaking her dress. Setsuna could feel the blood dripping down her fingers. The girl gripped Yūnagi and slowly drove it through her chest. A drop of blood fell from her smiling lips.

Her spare hand fell to Setsuna's.

"That's," she whispered, "how you satisfy me. Won't you let me feel a little more, Setsuna-senpai?"

Setsuna could only watch, horrified, as the girl impaled herself further on the blade. They were only inches away now. She tried to open her mouth and tell her to stop, but moving any more felt beyond her strength.

"No," she barely managed to whisper.

The girl vanished, taking the blood and the sword and the feathers with her. Setsuna thought she could feel her wings disappear as well.

The darkness started to close in. She could feel it getting nearer and nearer, restricting—everything.

She could hear her breathing echoing against the walls forming around her.

They were too close.

Completely closing her off.

She was trapped and—

"You really might want to consider waking up now."

That was—the girl. She was—?

Setsuna's eyes snapped open, her heart racing and clothes soaked through with sweat. It took her a few gasping seconds to realize that she wasn't in an unknown abyss of darkness; she was lying on the floor of her room.

And her senses were back –she could actually feel her surroundings again.

The walls were gone. There was light again. She could breathe. She could feel the hum of the wards in the room.

But she could also feel a warm body on top of hers, pinning her to the floor.

She was still trapped.

She shoved Tsukuyomi off of her and rolled off of their bedding—no, just hers, what was she saying?— barely remembering to grab her sword as she stumbled over to the window and flung it open. Immediately, fresh, cool air made its way into the room, and Setsuna's heartbeat slowed to a healthier rate. She breathed in deeply, ignoring Tsukuyomi's voice and taking in all she could of the outside air.

It was comforting against her damp skin. And if she was contemplating jumping out the window to make sure she could still fly, that was no one's concern but her own.

A nightmare. That was all it was. Just another nightmare.

"And you're always accusing me of sleeping poorly."

Setsuna practically launched herself out of the window when she felt Tsukuyomi's arms looping around her neck. The desire to follow through on the impulse intensified when Tsukuyomi giggled directly into her ear, the warm breath feeling absurdly good against her chilled flesh.

"I haven't mentioned that recently," Setsuna said, trying to regain some sense of the equilibrium Tsukuyomi had so effectively disrupted. It got harder when Tsukuyomi pressed their bodies closer together, practically draping herself over Setsuna. Caught somewhere between panic and—more panic, Setsuna froze instead of immediately pushing her away.

"I can't really mind having you bothered," Tsukuyomi murmured, "but you are starting to make me wonder, Senpai. Just what is it that's gotten under your skin?"

Distracted briefly by the uncomfortable sensations assaulting her body with Tsukuyomi so close, Setsuna almost answered. Almost; she was just awake enough to know better. Regardless of how much Tsukuyomi deserved to know what was going on, Setsuna wasn't ready to deal with the consequences of telling her.

So instead of explaining things and making an awkward situation even more awkward, Setsuna ducked out of Tsukuyomi's arms stiffly and started walking backwards towards the bathroom.

"I think I'm going to take a shower."

* * *

Tsukuyomi was coming to the conclusion that Setsuna lived to complicate her life.

No, maybe that was unfair. Setsuna had many more uses than just that. She was warm, an exquisite swordsman, and in general had a very comforting presence. She was also very fun to tease.

However, none of that changed how incredibly uncooperative she was being at the moment. Tsukuyomi was at least somewhat used to Setsuna having unreasonable expectations of privacy, but at the moment she was lacking her usual tolerance for that quirk.

Truth be told, Tsukuyomi did mind having Setsuna bothered. Not enough to do anything besides asking the occasional question, and certainly not enough to keep her from appreciating her Senpai's delightful disquiet, but…

Coming to terms with the fact that she'd be leaving Setsuna's side as soon as she could manage was difficult enough without other concerns. And Setsuna's state of mind was definitely starting to be a concern. Tsukuyomi didn't want to leave when her Senpai was having difficulties.

She didn't want to leave Setsuna's side at all. Even if it was for blood and carnage and freedom—the very things she lived for. As wonderful as all of that was, Setsuna was—special.

Tsukuyomi looked sulkily out the window. She could already feel small shivers making their way up her body; her constant reminder that what she wanted with Setsuna was irrelevant at this point. She couldn't stay.

So!

Whatever was wrong with Setsuna needed to be dealt with now.

Tsukuyomi didn't have nearly enough self-control to keep the grin off her face.

* * *

Setsuna closed her eyes and leaned against the shower wall. Water ran in rivulets down her body, cleansing it of sweat. It was almost relaxing; she could feel her back itching with the urge to release and stretch her wings under the steady stream of water. She sighed and ran a hand through her soaked hair, hesitating a moment before giving in and spreading her wings out behind her.

Almost instantly, she felt some of the tension in her shoulders ebb away. She shivered. Her body felt surprisingly light without it.

The dreams had started a few days ago. Right after her brief questioning of Yue, her subconscious was quick to remind her. Setsuna ignored that. She knew why she was having them; she didn't need reminders.

But as easy as it was to see the problem occupying her every unconscious thought, figuring out a solution her mind and conscience could live with was much more complicated. She was starting to think it might be impossible.

If she left things the way they were, Tsukuyomi would suffer.

If she changed them, other people might suffer.

Her eyes fell to the small, barely noticeable line of abnormally soft feathers that marked her left wing almost all the way through. They were matched by the pale scar gouged into her shoulder. If she concentrated, she could still feel Tsukuyomi's sword tearing through her.

And still, night after night, she was sleeping with Tsukuyomi wrapped around her. Voluntarily.

Setsuna could feel the tension returning.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't tempted—incredibly tempted—to remove the Seal.

But—

Whatever else she might have thought was rudely interrupted by the bathroom door being flung open.

Before Setsuna could wrap her mind around the only possible, very bad reason for why anyone would be interrupting her shower and take appropriate action, the shower curtain was torn away.

* * *

It really was a shame, Tsukuyomi's unconscious brain informed her, that Setsuna responded so efficiently in situations where she had no time to think. While her Senpai was easy to shock, her reaction time meant that surprise attacks rarely had as much effect as they should.

What that meant right now was that Setsuna's instincts managed to preserve her modesty; her wings automatically wrapped themselves protectively over her chest before Tsukuyomi could even let go of the curtain.

If she was thinking at all, that would have disappointed her.

However, thinking when confronted with a naked, soaked Setsuna—who had her _wings_ out and the marks Tsukuyomi left on her had never been so clear—wasn't something Tsukuyomi could quite manage. It had been such a long time since she'd seen Setsuna's beautiful wings; even longer since she'd seen _all_ of her Senpai like this—

A feeling she mostly associated with battle was stealing her breath away as her eyes drank in the sight of her Senpai. Wanting beyond anything she'd ever felt before was building in her chest, made worse every second her body stayed frustratingly still instead of launching itself forward.

Eventually, though her eyes weren't quite through devouring the object of her desires, Tsukuyomi glanced up at Setsuna's face.

* * *

Setsuna tried to remember the last time she'd been this acutely embarrassed and uncomfortable.

Immediately, the near-(and so very, very inappropriate)mistake with Konoka leapt to her mind.

She did not like the parallels her subconscious was drawing.

She disliked her body's sudden onset of frozenness even more.

It wasn't, Setsuna reminded herself desperately, as if Tsukuyomi had never seen her—bare before. Not that that was at all a pleasant memory, but this wasn't something new. Even if it had never happened that was no excuse to lose her head and stare blankly at the blonde instead of forcibly removing her from the bathroom.

But—something about the way Tsukuyomi was _looking_ at her—it—there was—

Setsuna didn't think it was healthy for her heart to be beating that fast.

She'd seen a shadow of that look at the start of their first duel in the Magical World. That expression on its own hadn't unsettled her much—at the time she was still reeling from seeing Tsukuyomi there at all.

There was also the fact that back then, Tsukuyomi just wanted to fight her. She was clearly unhealthily obsessed with the idea, but she still only wanted a fight.

This time, Tsukuyomi wanted _her_.

That—that—

Setsuna honestly had no idea how she was meant to respond to that. So when Tsukuyomi looked up, she was left staring blankly into the girl's eyes—which served to make the problem a thousand times worse because now she had an even clearer view of Tsukuyomi's expression.

And then there was a new problem, because an outlandish part of her couldn't help noticing that Tsukuyomi's eyes looked really pretty glazed over like that.

* * *

Panic, pure and simple, was written all over Setsuna's face. Some conscious thought returned to Tsukuyomi, and she found herself grinning. It would seem her dear Senpai was at a loss. She thought she liked that. As fun as it was to fight with Setsuna, seeing the older girl vulnerable was _incredibly_ attractive.

She took a step forward, keeping her eyes on Setsuna's for the moment so she didn't completely lose herself to her lust. One day, yes, of course, definitely, _absolutely_, she'd allow herself that pleasure, but what little common sense she had dictated that now was better spent taking advantage of Setsuna's shock. Making her remember that she normally didn't stand for Tsukuyomi staring at her was a horrible idea.

Then her control cracked, and she looked back down, paying special attention to the line of discolored feathers in one of Setsuna's wings. Even without the more obvious accompanying scar, she would have known that this was the wing her sword cut through.

The thought left her throat painfully dry.

Knowing that Setsuna's blood had been all over those soft, _soft_ feathers thanks to handiwork—

Tsukuyomi couldn't help herself, and she didn't want to in the first place. She reached out and pressed her fingers against those feathers. She sunk her fingers into the softness as much as she could—longing to mark out how deeply she'd scarred her Senpai.

* * *

Setsuna's return to sanity was initiated by a beyond uncomfortable jolt of insanity. For a brief—very brief—so brief it couldn't even count as anything _(Oh God)_—moment, with Tsukuyomi's hand practically buried in the most sensitive part of her avian anatomy, an incredibly intense—reaction struck her, leaving her confused, mortified, and even more panicked than before.

And maybe there was just the slightest possibility that she felt something—more than that.

None of that stopped her from jumping several feet in the air and batting Tsukuyomi's hand away with her wing, face burning.

"Don't _do_ that!" she yelped.

Tsukuyomi's eyes blazed. "They really are sensitive, aren't they, Setsuna-senpai?"

"No—they're just—I—" Setsuna searched the insides of her head hopelessly for something to say that had nothing to do with the wanton way Tsukuyomi was looking at her. The slight purr to her voice when she asked if Setsuna's wings were _sensitive_ made that much harder than it should have been.

The water dripping down her back also wasn't helping.

Frustrated and embarrassed beyond belief, Setsuna turned the shower off viciously and tried—unsuccessfully—to glare at her roommate while she snatched up her towel and quickly retracted her wings so she could wrap it around her chest. It took an incredible amount of effort not to acknowledge Tsukuyomi's disappointed pout.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked sharply.

* * *

There was a reason. She could recall that much at least. Tsukuyomi flexed the fingers that had probed her Senpai's soft, delightfully warm, scarred wing. She had expected a chill to run through her when Setsuna jerked back, but instead a shudder of an entirely different nature wracked her body. Setsuna could try to hide it all she wanted, but her reaction proved it; her wings were beyond sensitive.

Tsukuyomi reluctantly pulled her eyes back to Setsuna's face, which was inconveniently far from the droplets of water sliding down her soaked chest. It was hard to focus on anything beyond the raw pleasure coursing through her veins, but somewhere under all the exciting, lustful thoughts Setsuna prompted in her—

There were more thoughts like that.

It was not fair, it was not fair, and it was simply _not_ _fair_!

Tsukuyomi wanted nothing more than to be able to reach out and take every last bit of her Setsuna-senpai. At the very least, she wanted to have a knife in her hands so she could replace those drops of water with smears of blood. She wanted to be able to touch Setsuna without immediately being pushed away, and she wanted that _now_.

And Setsuna—Setsuna was being incredibly uncooperative and trying to ignore all of that and acting like everything was perfectly normal and she was only annoyed because of the invasion of her privacy.

Maybe Setsuna did live to complicate her life after all.

Tsukuyomi didn't want to at all, but she forced herself to think of something beyond what she wanted to do to—with?—Setsuna. Her reason for being here in the first place was coming back to her now. It wasn't anywhere near as satisfying as thinking about what she'd like to be doing to Setsuna, but it was important.

"I was wondering what's wrong with you."

Setsuna shot her an incredibly unhappy, incredulous look.

"What's wrong with _me_?"

"That's right. You never answered my question."

"What question?" Setsuna snapped.

"What is it that's gotten under your skin?"

"You said you didn't care!"

"I don't think I put it like that."

Setsuna's grip around her sword—when had she picked that up?—tightened to the point that Tsukuyomi was honestly surprised that the hilt didn't explode. Her eyes had the stirrings of dangerous colors in them, but it was hard to worry too much about that when her face was so incredibly red.

"You can't just barge in here because you're annoyed with me for not answering your question," she said tightly.

"It's not like that was my only reason." Tsukuyomi's eyes slid away from Setsuna's and drifted back down to gaze at the rest of the half-demon. The wet towel was doing very little to keep any of her body hidden. Her wings were better, and—

_Not. Fair._

Unfortunately, Tsukuyomi's perfectly understandable perusal of her greatest distraction was interrupted very abruptly. Her dearly embarrassed Senpai had apparently used up all her tolerance for being stared at. Setsuna's hand was around Tsukuyomi's arm in seconds, the contact sending delighted shivers of heat rippling through her.

"Out. Now."

* * *

With Tsukuyomi safely removed from the bathroom, Setsuna felt free to slump against the door and contemplate just how exactly the situation had spiraled out of her control so quickly. She hadn't felt so close to completely losing her temper with Tsukuyomi in a while.

Guiltily, she had to admit that at least part of that was because Tsukuyomi had decided to press the issue of her sleep problems instead of just letting it go. As embarrassing as having Tsukuyomi look at her like that was, the possibility of her being concerned about her was—worse.

Not that Tsukuyomi simply being too curious for her own good was an unreasonable assumption, but Setsuna was uncomfortably aware that Tsukuyomi would never stop ogling her just to get the answer to a question.

Setsuna hated the idea of Tsukuyomi caring what happened to her. Here she was, not even able to decide if she should relieve Tsukuyomi's pain or not, and Tsukuyomi…

"Senpai?"

Setsuna sighed. Of course not being in the same room wouldn't keep Tsukuyomi quiet for long.

"I don't want to talk about it, Tsukuyomi."

"Yes, you've made that very clear."

…She wasn't going to give up, was she?

"I was just thinking things through again." A small shudder went through the door. Setsuna didn't need her enhanced senses to know that Tsukuyomi was leaning against it. "This started the night after Negi-kun said we were friends."

Setsuna covered her eyes with her hand and wondered how much worse this morning could possibly get. "Tsukuyomi…"

"I'm just curious if that has anything to do with it," Tsukuyomi said brightly. "If it does, you shouldn't worry so much; I know we aren't friends."

* * *

Tsukuyomi came close to tripping over her feet when the door she was leaning against suddenly opened. Too much time without her ki to play with was making her sloppy. Or maybe it was just waking up in the middle of the night. She liked that option better.

Before she could reorient herself properly, her glasses were removed from her face with the barest touch of warmth glancing her skin. Tsukuyomi grimaced as her sight went completely blurry. "Is that really necessary, Setsuna-senpai? I like seeing."

Setsuna stayed silent for a long time after that.

Tsukuyomi shifted uncomfortably on her feet. Really, her Senpai was going to steal her glasses and then not say a word? She'd almost thought things were going to get interesting for a moment. Too bad… But maybe now she'd get her question answered.

"I don't hate you."

The simple, quiet statement was enough to shock Tsukuyomi into forgetting that she couldn't actually see the girl behind her. She spun around to stare at the blur holding her glasses hostage. She imagined Setsuna was looking very uncomfortable right now.

Tsukuyomi could relate. A little. Why couldn't her Senpai tell her these things before she prepared escape plans? It wouldn't make much difference in the end, but she might have had a few days of knowing there was at least some chance of Setsuna warming up to her without immediately thinking of what a shame it was that they couldn't spend more time together.

"Oh."

They stood there awkwardly for what felt like ages. Not seeing didn't help the time pass any faster. Tsukuyomi wondered if now was a good time to risk asking for the answer to her question again. Maybe Setsuna was starting to feel a bit silly having her morning complicated by her avoidance issues.

Then Setsuna sighed and pressed Tsukuyomi's glasses into her hand—carefully, without letting their hands touch—before sliding past her and walking towards the center of the room.

"Let's just—go back to bed."

* * *

After completing the complicated process of putting clean sleepwear on while keeping Tsukuyomi from staring at her, it was almost a relief to fall back into their bedding and let Tsukuyomi curl around her. Almost.

Altogether, Setsuna thought making her feelings slightly more clear to Tsukuyomi had done more harm than good. It felt dishonest to reassure the girl—sort of—while thinking through all the possible reasons not to give her the freedom of a slightly longer leash.

Tsukuyomi shifted in her sleep, bringing her head up to rest in the crook of Setsuna's neck.

She looked _so_ peaceful while she slept now. All because—

All because…

Setsuna was always with Tsukuyomi.

If anything happened, she'd know. After so long without her power, Tsukuyomi probably wouldn't have the restraint to hold herself back to make a surprise attack. She'd act immediately. Setsuna wouldn't be able to miss that, and considering how long Tsukuyomi's training had been neglected, no psychotic rush would be enough for the girl to overpower her.

She could afford to ask Mana to watch Tsukuyomi whenever she wasn't available. Barely, but she could do it.

For various reasons, Setsuna was starting to feel more than vaguely uneasy.

Every second the Ouroboros Seal was on Tsukuyomi, the odds of her losing her patience and trying to remove it herself went up. She could kill herself.

Setsuna looked back down at the expression of utter contentment covering Tsukuyomi's face.

…Maybe Negi had a point after all.


	15. Day 36

AN: Sorry about the long wait. ...Again. Unfortunately, for the next few months, updating will probably take longer than it should due to various issues. But on the bright side, future chapters won't be nearly as difficult to write, so... yeah. Basically, updates are going to be awkward for a while, so apologies for that.

**

* * *

Day 36

* * *

**Out of the many problems Setsuna had considered when agreeing to be Tsukuyomi's guard, lack of sleep wasn't one she'd been too concerned with. She had predicted at least a few sleepless nights while she got used to the concept of sleeping in the same room as someone who wanted her dead. Tsukuyomi was not, under any definition, "safe" and not a seal in either world could change that. Setsuna had been fully prepared for being on her guard every second they were together. If that meant sacrificing sleep, she would deal with it.

The number of hours Tsukuyomi was costing her made it hard to believe how easily she'd written off the problem in the beginning.

Setsuna stared up at the ceiling.

To be fair to Tsukuyomi, it wasn't entirely her fault this time. There was something moving outside, well within the school's barrier. It was small, and someone would deal with it soon enough, but for the moment Setsuna was left sensing its every movement and being unable to do anything about it.

She still wouldn't be up in the first place if not for Tsukuyomi.

Setsuna took a deep, measured breath and let it out slowly. It didn't help much.

Today was the day.

Depending on how everything went, the fragile stability they'd managed to put together could very easily slip away after this. Setsuna wasn't in any rush to admit that there was more than just a chance that Negi was right about them being friends, but—things had improved. They were getting along better than Setsuna had ever considered possible.

As if on cue, Tsukuyomi's hands tightened around her waist. Her hair tickled Setsuna's neck, making the half-demon really, really want to go outside and deal with the stray intruder. Technically not supposed to do that, Setsuna settled for arranging Tsukuyomi's hair so it was entirely on their (currently) shared pillow.

It looked like Tsukuyomi's hair was almost back to its old length. The singe marks Setsuna remembered seeing before their fight were completely gone, and her bangs partly covered her eyes. She'd need a haircut soon. Something else to think about.

Setsuna watched her sleep absently. These days, Tsukuyomi always rested better than her.

Everything had changed so much.

Setsuna didn't know if their newer, peaceful relationship would survive Tsukuyomi getting a taste of freedom. It could very easily go back to the way it was before. They could be killing each other within the week. Setsuna could already see Evangeline laughing at her for handing over Tsukuyomi's killing spree on a silver platter.

That would only happen if she couldn't contain Tsukuyomi though. Maybe nothing could keep them in a stable relationship for long, but she would at least keep Tsukuyomi's body count at zero.

Setsuna gave up on controlling her breathing and sighed softly. She needed to stop thinking about everything. She had to be well-rested if she wanted this to work. And really, she thought, frowning down at Tsukuyomi, she did want that.

Then she realized that her hand had somehow never left Tsukuyomi's hair.

…She was _playing_ with Tsukuyomi's hair.

Setsuna quickly made herself stop, dutifully ignoring the faint tingling in her cheeks and rolling over so that her hands and eyes were as far away from Tsukuyomi as possible. What was _wrong_ with her?

Sleep. She needed sleep.

Setsuna shut her eyes and tried very hard to ignore the body occupying her personal space.

* * *

After an hour of being awake, Tsukuyomi started to seriously consider the possibility that she was still asleep. She didn't usually have dreams, but she'd heard they could be very strange. Setsuna's certainly were, if her thrashing around all last week was anything to go by.

And this was strange.

It wasn't that she was unused to Setsuna waking up and not saying a single word to her all morning. She didn't like it, but that on its own wasn't really strange. Especially since Tsukuyomi's failed attempt to find out what was bothering her Senpai so much had made Setsuna go back to saying as little as possible to her.

Tsukuyomi had let that go until now because she found it hard to be bothered by much of anything when Setsuna still couldn't look at her without blushing. Her Senpai was incredibly cute with any kind of red on her face. Pretty too. Tsukuyomi could be noble and sacrifice good conversation for that.

But now Setsuna was pacing around their room looking worried about something, and every few seconds she would stop to take out one of her pactio cards and place it against her forehead—before shaking her head and resuming her march about the room.

She looked nervous.

Besides being strange, it was enough to make Tsukuyomi feel a little jealous.

More than a little. She didn't have to see the card to know that it was Konoka's.

There was no good thing Setsuna could be thinking about telling her partner when she was that nervous.

Tsukuyomi was very, very jealous, and a savage desire to have her powers back _now_ was taking over, as well as some delightful fantasies about which limb of Konoka's she'd be cutting off first. She'd probably start small; fingers maybe. That way she could take her time and bask in the glory of the girl's screams and blood for as long as she wished.

"We're going to see the headmaster today."

Tsukuyomi reluctantly pulled herself out of her daydream to look inquisitively at Setsuna. "Didn't you do that yesterday? And why would I be going? I've been behaving." As far as anyone else in any position of authority was aware.

The princess wouldn't complain about a few silly little arguments, would she?

Setsuna was still staring at her card. "Yes," she said quietly, "you have been."

"Am I being released?" Tsukuyomi asked hopefully. That would simplify things greatly. She could go through with her escape plan without even having to escape. Then after she sated her immediate thirst with some demons, she could come back to Setsuna without her Senpai being mad at her for breaking any rules. That would work perfectly—

"No."

—but of course. It was a shame, but Setsuna was far too untrusting to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Then why do I need to go with you?"

Setsuna looked up from the card that Tsukuyomi was starting to have mildly impure thoughts about. Her Senpai wasn't staring directly at her, since her new lack of control over her blood flow meant she tried not to do that anymore, but her eyes were carefully examining the floor above Tsukuyomi's shoulder. "Your seal is changing."

What?

Tsukuyomi stared blankly up at her roommate for a full second, a complete lack of comprehension stilling any intelligent thought.

That—no, Setsuna would never allow that.

She didn't trust her. The idea that she would ever be willing to alter Tsukuyomi's seal in any way was nothing but an errant fantasy. Nice, but not at all realistic. Setsuna was too paranoid—too _stubborn_—

None of that knowledge could keep adrenaline pulsing readily through Tsukuyomi's bloodstream. "Is it now?"

"It's a less restrictive seal," Setsuna muttered, her eyes going back to the card. "It will let your ki run freely throughout your body again, but you won't be able to use it for anything."

She did not sound very happy about that. Not very happy at all.

But her moodiness was hardly the point. Beneath all the nervousness and frustration and worry, there was something that looked very much like concern—something that had nothing to do with the card in her hand.

"_I don't hate you."_

A faint fluttering in Tsukuyomi's chest agreed with that interpretation. Wanting and glee burst into life in what she could only identify as her heart. She grinned and hopped to her feet, drawing her Senpai's eyes back to where they belonged.

"Senpai…" she chirped, slinking over to Setsuna (so much more than adrenaline driving her now), "have I been behaving myself that well in your eyes?"

Setsuna took a jerky step backwards. "That's not—exactly it."

"Oh?"

It was tempting—_so_ tempting—to simply walk over and wrap her hands around Setsuna's neck so her Senpai didn't have the option of looking away from her—but Tsukuyomi had just enough sense left to know that a move like that might just make Setsuna change her mind.

And Setsuna already looked like she was regretting her decision.

Still… it was a decision that was already made, wasn't it? Her Senpai might be annoyed, but it would hardly cause any extra inconvenience for her if she just took a small—

"There are some concerns about how the Seal may be affecting you," Setsuna said stiffly.

—But Senpai never could stand letting her have her fun.

"What might have brought those on?" Tsukuyomi asked carefully. She suddenly found it a little easier to resist brushing against Setsuna. She couldn't think of any particular way the Seal could be affecting her that anyone guarding her would care about, but that didn't mean there wasn't one.

For reasons beyond her basic pleasures, Tsukuyomi was very glad she was a swordswoman and not a mage sometimes. It made things so much simpler. Her objective was to make someone bleed—copiously—and die, and very little complications factored into that task. Magic had any number of unintended consequences.

"Just—some things have changed since your arrival."

And as far as Tsukuyomi could remember, none of the changes had anything to do with magic.

…Her Senpai wasn't really naïve enough to think that their newly established lack of hatred for each other was an effect of the Seal, was she?

* * *

Tsukuyomi looked far less willing to accept that answer than Setsuna had hoped, but at least she was keeping her distance now. And looking very exasperated. Setsuna chose to ignore that and went back to avoiding looking directly at her pactio card.

She had decided in the middle of her long, sleepless night that having Tsukuyomi and Asuna in the same room right after a major power shift was a bad idea. She had yet to work up the nerve to explain things to her partner.

She still didn't know how to justify her sudden decision adequately without explaining _everything_, and—well—

Setsuna gnawed on her lip. She could admit—just to herself, and it was something that she had no desire to ever share with Konoka—that due to certain recent—occurrences with Tsukuyomi, she was more eager than usual to keep her situation with the blonde completely separate from her relationship with her partner.

And she hated disappointing Konoka.

A few years ago, this would have been easy. She wouldn't have even had a reason to tell Konoka her plans for the day. Now, though…

"You know, Senpai… with all this skirting around the issue, I'm starting to wonder if you're planning my execution instead of my release."

"You aren't being released," Setsuna said sharply, almost grateful for the distraction. "Your seal's changing, but that's _it_ Tsukuyomi."

"Because of changed circumstances you aren't going to tell me about."

Setsuna flushed and scowled at Tsukuyomi. "You could just wait until the new seal's in place and figure out what's changed yourself."

"And if I like these… changes?"

Setsuna's card almost slipped through her fingers as she fumbled it.

There was little doubt in her mind that Tsukuyomi being constantly cold was bad. Dangerous even. Having the girl latched onto her side almost every waking moment was also bad.

Tsukuyomi would probably agree with the first point, but she would not appreciate losing her excuse to be clingy, and as uncomfortable as this day could be to begin with, listening to her express her desire to continue clinging to Setsuna—

Setsuna was not going to put herself through that. It could (and would probably have to) be addressed later, but for now she could get away with putting it off.

Unlike talking to Konoka.

"I did mean it, Senpai."

"Mean what?"

"I like you," Tsukuyomi said simply, oblivious to the discomfiting jolt that went through Setsuna's chest at hearing those words again. "I always have. The Seal didn't influence that, so if you're entertaining any silly thoughts about that, please stop."

Setsuna stared at the girl, entirely unable to drag her eyes away. Another one of those strange—occurrences that kept happening around Tsukuyomi. Something was very, very wrong with her.

"Oh, but I suppose then you don't have a reason to change the seals—why don't you just forget I said anything until after we've switched things?"

"It has nothing to do with that," Setsuna blurted out. "The Seal doesn't affect emotions in any way, and even if it did, those—I-I know your feelings are—genuine."

She could feel her cheeks burning and she couldn't look at Tsukuyomi anymore. It became easy to look down at the card in her hand and consider opening her mind up to communicating with Konoka. Anything was easier than actually thinking about what she just said.

Tsukuyomi laughed. "There's no need to be so embarrassed about that, Setsuna-senpai. That's just common sense, isn't it?"

Setsuna turned around, closed her eyes, and pressed her pactio card to her head, determinedly ignoring her roommate and diving straight into the easier conflict before her real common sense could kick in and stop her.

"**Kono-chan? Are you awake?"**

A few very silent seconds passed before Konoka responded brightly.

"**Good morning Set-chan! Do you need something?"**

Setsuna felt her insides squirm uncomfortably. **"Not exactly. I just wanted to let you know that Tsukuyomi and I won't be able to make it today."**

"…**Oh."**

"**I'm so sorry Kono-chan,"** Setsuna thought hurriedly. **"It's just that something a little—unusual is going on with Tsukuyomi's imprisonment, and not all of the preparations were in order yesterday."**

"**No, don't worry Set-chan. It's okay. If it has to do with your assignment there's not much you can do."**

Maybe if they'd been talking face to face Konoka would have been able to mask her sadness better, but the emotion came through easily over their mental bond. Setsuna winced. She wasn't handling any of this well at all, was she?

"**I really am sorry,"** she thought back miserably. **"This is just something better dealt with sooner than later. We'll definitely make it next week though—and I don't have to spend as much time training when we're in Evangeline-san's resort, so if—if—"**

Konoka's warm laughter entered Setsuna's mind. **"Don't worry about it Set-chan. It's fine. Just make sure to make it next week, okay?"**

"**I promise."**

"**Good! I'll see you tomorrow then."**

Setsuna pulled the card from her head with a sigh. If anything like this ever had to happen again, she'd just drag Tsukuyomi out of bed the second preparations were completed. At least then she wouldn't risk hurting Konoka's feelings.

"What was so important that you couldn't wait until lunch to tell your Ojou-sama?"

Setsuna opened her eyes and turned to glare at Tsukuyomi, who was having her own staring match with the pactio card lying lifeless in Setsuna's hand. Her own hand was twitching a little; her fingers almost looked like they were reaching to caress some invisible—

_Deep breaths._

"I was just informing her that because of our appointment with the headmaster, we won't be making it to lunch today."

"Is that right?"

Tsukuyomi's eyes gleamed.

Setsuna looked away and stuffed her card in her shirt pocket and ignored the memory of Tsukuyomi's hands twisting the exact same way with a sword in hand. Walking stiffly, she made her way over to the door and her shoes, making sure Yūnagi was ready to draw if necessary.

"We should leave now if we don't want to be late," she muttered.

"Yes, I suppose giving certain people time to change their minds would be a bad idea."

Setsuna knew without asking that Tsukuyomi was grouping her in that category. She didn't bother making the correction, choosing to focus instead on the much more productive task of putting on her shoes. Tsukuyomi walked over and leaned against the door, tapping her fingers against it impatiently.

Or maybe she was just happy, Setsuna realized. Memories of her sword style still lingered despite Setsuna's best effort, and while the movements weren't similar, she could remember how enthusiastically Tsukuyomi had waved her blades around moments before their first duel of the Magical World. Few—none of Tsukuyomi's emotions were quiet. If she felt something, she expressed it.

And—Setsuna sneaked a quick look at her roommate's face—right now, she was definitely feeling happiness.

For some reason, that simple knowledge was almost enough to make Setsuna return the smile—

—and if the door hadn't opened at that exact second, coming very close to knocking Tsukuyomi over, she might have. Tsukuyomi tripped forward, and Setsuna jumped to her feet to steady her before she inadvertently trapped them both in a heap on the floor. Her spare hand already had Yūnagi halfway drawn.

Then Setsuna's eyes caught up with the rest of her body and she relaxed. She stood up straight, sheathed her blade, and nodded to their mostly-absent roommate.

"Tatsumiya."

Mana eyed the positioning of Setsuna's hand on Tsukuyomi's shoulder before smiling sharply. "Setsuna. …Tsukuyomi."

"Good morning, Onee-san!" Tsukuyomi chirped back. "Are you here to escort us?"

Mana chuckled and pushed her way past them to drop the duffel she was carrying on what was supposed to be Tsukuyomi's bed. She was moving more stiffly than she usually did, and Setsuna thought she could see the beginnings of a bruise on her shoulder. "I would have thought you'd be more than happy with Setsuna as your only guard."

Setsuna cut Tsukuyomi off before she could say something to that, making the girl pout. "Are you going to be spending the next few nights here?"

"That's right," Mana said. "There have been some intrusions near the dorms lately, and the headmaster thought it best if I wasn't as far as the shrine the next time something shows up."

Setsuna frowned. "Should I—"

"Don't worry about it. You're hardly the sole competent guard this school has, and the headmaster pays well. And you already have your hands full with our roommate. There's no reason to burden yourself further." She paused briefly before continuing with a slight smirk. "Besides, between the two of them, Tsukuyomi's probably the greater threat."

"Thank you, Onee-san," Tsukuyomi said sweetly.

Setsuna stayed still for a few moments, eying the bruise on Mana's shoulder, before nodding reluctantly and kneeling to finish tying her shoes. She and Tsukuyomi had an appointment to keep. That was the only responsibility she should worry about.

It was hard to ignore her older loyalty to the headmaster and the school though, and all the way to the headmaster's office, she had to fight to keep her thoughts from wandering.

* * *

Tsukuyomi sat comfortably at the center of the magical array the headmaster had marked out on his office floor.

Well. She was as close to comfortable as she was likely to get considering how much of her restraint she had already used up trying not to antagonize her Senpai. She did not feel like sitting. She felt even less like being patient.

She would make herself wait though. She was patient with Fate-han's complicated plans while she was under his employ, and she was of course patient now with the princess, and really, this wasn't at all different.

…Only it was. It was so very, very different. Even if she couldn't use it for anything, the chance to feel her power buzzing under her skin again was something she wanted with a vicious glee that was usually reserved for Setsuna, and the want was increasing by the second.

Making being patient unreasonably difficult.

She wished Setsuna were closer. Setsuna had always been good at distracting her. But no, her Senpai was completely engrossed in whatever quiet conversation she was having with the headmaster.

Tsukuyomi sighed as loudly as she dared. This would all be so much simpler if she had something to kill nearby. She'd even take the puppets at the moment. Anything.

Maybe Konoka would decide to come visit her grandfather. That would be nice. Except for what would happen after she murdered the girl.

Tsukuyomi glanced at Setsuna, allowing herself a brief moment of regret. Without a pressing need to escape, she would have to ignore her less developed murder plans for the sweet Konoe heir.

"Tsukuyomi-kun, are you ready to begin?"

Tsukuyomi abruptly sat up straight and attempted to wipe her thoughts clean from her face. She smiled cheerfully at the headmaster. "Yes." Beyond ready. Shouldn't a man of his age know better than to keep a lady waiting?

The headmaster nodded slowly and situated himself so that he was standing at what Tsukuyomi assumed was the top of the array. Behind him, Setsuna stayed as still as a statue next to his desk. "Very well then."

He fixed Tsukuyomi with a look that reminded her a little of Dynamis. "This is unlikely to be a pleasant experience for you. The Ouroboros Seal is not easily removed—extra care must be taken to insure that the sudden influx of energy throughout your body doesn't tear it apart." He paused. "I would suggest that you stay as still and quiet as possible so you do not break my concentration."

Tsukuyomi nodded dutifully, but underneath her ever-growing excitement, she could feel a sliver of disappointment. It was galling to be told, however indirectly, that her grand escape plan wouldn't have worked.

And to think the _princess_ could have been granted the honor of killing her.

She'd need to find a way to thank Setsuna for sparing her that fate.

For saving her life.

How strange, to think of it that way, when for so long—

* * *

Pain.

It made Tsukuyomi want to laugh.

When was the last time she'd been in pain?

_Real_ pain, not soppy, wholly inferior emotional discomfort?

She couldn't remember. Her last fight with Setsuna maybe.

It truly had been far too long.

And even then, pain like this was a completely different force than the kind that showed up so commonly in swordfights. The slicing and tearing and blood that was so satisfying to her had no place here.

This was entirely internal. There wouldn't be a mark on her if she looked down, despite the ripping sensation diving through her insides, and while that sort of damage was no fun to inflict…

This, she recalled, with a brief burst of clarity, was why mages could be so fun. Why people like Fate-han could excite her just as easily as another swordsman. Because magic, with all of its complications and unintended consequences, could do things like this.

And the _power_. She felt almost drunk on it. The sensation of such strong magic around her—

A searing, blistering heat erupted in her abdomen, fiercer than the heat of anything outside her Senpai's blood.

And then she thought she did laugh, heedless of the headmaster's warning.

How had she gone so long without feeling this?

* * *

Blinking bright spots from her eyes, Setsuna just managed to make it to Tsukuyomi's side before the girl collapsed as the spell—spells really—ended. Her charge was apparently delirious, giggling softly and holding a hand to her eyes.

Setsuna wasn't sure what to make of that. She doubted it was a normal side effect of either the release of the Ouroboros Seal or the placement of the new one.

Most likely, she thought, it was just Tsukuyomi being Tsukuyomi. Her smile right now certainly wasn't unfamiliar.

"You are sure about this Setsuna-kun?"

Setsuna nodded at the headmaster's soft question. He had asked it multiple times now, but he probably thought, thanks to Tsukuyomi's reaction to the magic, it warranted repeating. "Yes sir." She hesitated for a moment, unsure if she really wanted to say the words in her mind. Then she relented. Even if things ended badly, the headmaster hadn't had to help. "Thank you."

She heard him chuckle. "I doubt even young Negi-kun will ever have the opportunity to use the spell to undo the Ouroboros Seal. Whatever my doubts about your current charge, it was thrilling to find an excuse to use magic that complex."

Setsuna could understand that. A little. When she was younger, she felt the same way every time she needed to use a Shinmeiryuu technique in a fight. She sighed and picked Tsukuyomi up off the floor. "We'll be leaving now sir. Thank you for your time."

* * *

Tsukuyomi had finally managed to stop giggling when they reached their room. She was still by no means calm—oh certainly not—but she could feel a little bit of control returning to her.

She wasn't sure she welcomed the return. She already missed the extra edge of intensity that came from being overwhelmed with magic; the complete freedom of emotion that she only ever felt in battle. _Oh_ how she missed it.

But things were hardly bad. She wasn't touching Setsuna at the moment, but she wasn't cold. And she really could feel her power again. She couldn't use it—she'd tried briefly when Setsuna was opening the door to their room—but she could _feel_ it.

She wasn't sure how long that would be enough (she already wanted so much more), but for now, it was. Such an improvement…

Had Setsuna known this would happen?

The cold at least. Tsukuyomi was almost positive that Setsuna had known about that. Her earlier words were making a lot more sense now.

She looked over at Setsuna, who was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.

She almost started laughing all over again.

* * *

That look was back in Tsukuyomi's eyes.

"_I like you."_

Any thoughts Setsuna had of looking around the room for a distraction stopped cold.

She was really, really starting to hate that look. Before it had just been embarrassing, but now it was starting to make her feel strange in a way that she really didn't think was healthy.

"Setsuna-senpai?"

Setsuna jumped. "Ah—yes?"

Tsukuyomi took a few steps closer to her, smiling freely in a way that at least confirmed that Setsuna had been right to recommend changing the seals and why was she thinking of that right now instead of backing away from Tsukuyomi?

Another step.

Tsukuyomi seemed completely content with just watching her with that look. Several seconds passed without her saying a word. Setsuna wanted to break the silence herself, but what could she possibly say?

"You really don't hate me, do you Senpai?"

Setsuna tensed defensively. "I said I didn't."

Tsukuyomi's smile widened and she took another step forward. Her eyes were almost glowing now.

"So you did."

The whispered words brushed against the side of Setsuna's face, and that's when she really started to panic. She hadn't realized that she'd turned her head away from Tsukuyomi, but she jerked her gaze back now, understanding far too much of the expression in the blonde's eyes.

Tsukuyomi liking her was one thing. And yes, even though she liked her as more than a friend it wasn't completely terrifying, because—

Because lust was not love, and it couldn't be or else—

Or else—

Tsukuyomi's lips brushed against hers.

—something like this might happen.

* * *

Not counting the cases where blood had been involved, Tsukuyomi had never kissed anyone. Not on the lips, and certainly not with any romantic intent.

Not like this.

Setsuna was completely frozen, but Tsukuyomi couldn't mind, because her Senpai's lips were soft, and she wasn't pulling away. If Tsukuyomi had been expecting anything from this—if she'd kissed Setsuna for any reason besides suddenly wanting it more than anything—it wouldn't have been Setsuna's compliance in any form.

This, she knew, somehow, despite all logic, transcended the feeling that the headmaster's magic had burned into her.

Without giving it any conscious thought, she deepened the kiss.

* * *

Part of Setsuna kept expecting to feel magic flooding her veins—kept expecting to hear Chamo's voice shouting, "Pactio!" That was how these situations were supposed to go. It involved kissing, yes, but then the magic flowed over the participants and—and—why wasn't it happening?

The rest of Setsuna was thoroughly occupied with trying to make sense of what was happening. She was not only failing miserably, she was also highly conscious of the way Tsukuyomi's lips were moving against hers, and she felt like her senses were in overdrive despite most of her body feeling entirely numb.

In the back of her mind, she dimly registered the sound of the door creaking open, but she didn't think she even remembered how to move.

"Huh."

The sound of Mana's voice, however, was more than enough to remind her.

* * *

Tsukuyomi stared up at the bottom of the top bunk, trying to keep her giggling contained.

Sure, their roommate's interruption was hardly welcome, and having Setsuna return to giving her the silent treatment for the rest of the day and say that there was no need for them to sleep together anymore now that her heat issues were resolved was unpleasant (though she thought she could change Setsuna's mind about that), but… it had been _such_ a good day.

She put a hand to her lips.

Then she gave up on keeping her laughter quiet.

Setsuna—just for a second, but it still counted—kissed back.


	16. Day 37

AN: This chapter had too many rewrites.

Barring any more health disasters, things should be going smoothly again. Thank you all for your patience. As a reward, you get an extra! (okay, not really, it's just really convenient timing)

* * *

_Excerpted from _**Shadow Crystal Mage**_'s 8th chapter of _**Tales of Yue's Harem**

_(which is full of cracky awesomeness that all should read)  
_

* * *

Konoka and Tsukuyomi stared at each other across the table.

"It's time we resolve this issue," the Konoe heiress said, uncharacteristically serious.

Tsukuyomi nodded. "Agreed," the renegade swordswoman said, uncharacteristically sane.

Setsuna's gave turned between the two of them, sweating nervously. Slowly, both girls put their hands on the table, faces utterly solemn.

"Breasts!" Konoka declared.

"Ass!" Tsukuyomi countered.

They eyed each other, before smiling and shaking their hands in agreement. Then they turned predatory gazes towards Setsuna. The hanyou gulped.

"Set-chan…" Konoka chirped, eyeing Setsuna's blouse.

"Setsuna-sempai…!" Tsukuyomi crooned, gaze locked onto Setsuna's posterior.

Setsuna screamed. And then, her scream changed tone…

* * *

**Day 37**

* * *

"Good morning Set-chan!"

It said much about Tsukuyomi's mood that she was able to watch the Konoe heir fling her arms around Setsuna's without more than a twinge of murderous desire. Konoka, bright and chipper, was smiling up at Setsuna without a care in the world, stealing the place next to her former bodyguard that Tsukuyomi had managed to secure for herself once upon a time—

Yet Tsukuyomi couldn't manage to rearrange the smile on her face to properly express her disdain for Setsuna's former charge. Instead, even as her Senpai stuttered out an uncertain greeting, Tsukuyomi felt her grin widen.

It might have had something to do with the delightful flush of Setsuna's pale skin; maybe it was the way Setsuna had to visibly stop herself from pulling away from Konoka out of shock (something she hadn't done with Tsukuyomi in quite some time).

Or maybe it was the way Setsuna's eyes darted over to Tsukuyomi uncomfortably the instant before she said anything to Konoka.

Her Senpai had far from forgotten yesterday.

Tsukuyomi was in a very, very good mood.

"What has you so cheery?"

Not that anyone but her would appreciate that.

Reluctantly, Tsukuyomi dragged her attention away from Setsuna and turned to eye the princess she was no longer obligated to annoy.

That hardly restricted her from having fun though.

"Why would you be interested in knowing?"

"Because anything that makes you happy can't possibly be good for us," Asuna said darkly. She cast a protective look over at her friends before returning to glare unpleasantly at Tsukuyomi. "What did you do?"

"I didn't rape her, if that's what you're still worried about."

If Tsukuyomi had thought about it for any length of time, she would have realized that perhaps bringing that up wasn't the best idea. Not that it wasn't accurate enough, and of course the mere mention of it would bother the princess, but the thought of doing anything sexual with Setsuna made her feel entirely too excited in too many ways for her to keep from sounding giddy.

And amused, since she was still keeping her secret about how much more than rape she wanted from her Senpai.

Given the princess' sensitivity to the topic, giddiness and amusement were precisely the wrong emotions to display.

Asuna came to an abrupt halt and caught Tsukuyomi's arm.

Tsukuyomi forced herself to stay still in a way not unlike Setsuna's reaction to her Ojou-sama. She was not fond of anyone's touch but Setsuna's after all, and so soon after having her sensation of power returned to her, being close to someone she wouldn't mind killing at all was a horrible temptation. She could feel the strong pulse of the princess' blood, steady and quick from anger, and she knew that Setsuna's eyes weren't watching her right now—

But she was unarmed. And it was no longer in her best interests to antagonize the princess to the point of extreme violence.

It wasn't.

She would have to see if the next concession she won from Setsuna could be a weapon. Then she could appreciate moments like this properly.

Regretfully, the princess let go almost insultingly fast, though she didn't stop glaring. Tsukuyomi gazed back serenely for several seconds, keeping an eye on the way Asuna's hand kept fidgeting. To think that would have been a very good sign only yesterday.

The princess looked over at Setsuna and Konoka for a moment, and her hand and glare relaxed. "If you didn't do anything, why aren't you clinging to Setsuna-san the way you do every other morning?"

"I didn't say I didn't do anything, I said I didn't rape her. There's a significant difference, Princess."

A muscle in Asuna's jaw twitched. "What did you do?"

And just like that whatever joy she had lost at not being able to engage the princess properly reappeared with interest. Tsukuyomi laughed out loud and turned away from the easily enraged girl with a broad grin on her face.

"Well," she said, cheerily ignoring the flash of sense that suggested she keep silent, "since you're so eager to know… we kissed."

Not for a contract, not part of getting caught up in a fight; not for any reason beyond Tsukuyomi finding Setsuna impossibly alluring and _wanting_ to kiss her. So she had. And it had taken their other roommate interrupting for her Senpai to pull away.

Yesterday had been an excellent day.

"No, you didn't."

Tsukuyomi looked over her shoulder at the princess. The girl's face was oddly blank.

"We certainly did."

Asuna shook her head. "There's no way Setsuna-san would—"

Before the princess could finish uttering that very untrue statement, Konoka's voice sounded out loudly. "Asuna! We're going to be late!"

The princess barely glanced at her friend, more interested in glaring at Tsukuyomi. But, since for the first time in a while Tsukuyomi wasn't trying to get on the princess' _last_ nerve, she decided to be good and walk over to Setsuna's side. After all, she'd been rewarded for good behavior before. Why not again?

* * *

Never before had Setsuna had so much trouble concentrating during class. Between Tsukuyomi's staring, Asuna's staring (which she didn't understand), and her own jumbled thoughts, she didn't catch a single word of Negi's lecture.

She felt a pang of longing for her partner. Konoka understood things like this. Konoka always knew exactly how to handle emotional conflicts—and she could do it without losing her composure. It was practically second nature to her.

Setsuna was terribly inadequate in an emotional arena. She was a swordswoman, not an expert in human relationships. Even forming friendships and enjoying them was a relatively new concept. Relationships involving a—deeper connection… She wasn't comfortable with them, and certainly wasn't familiar with them. She had Asuna and Negi's friendship, and Konoka's—partnership. That was enough, and it was unproductive and distracting to think of wanting more.

Setsuna found herself horribly distracted.

Tsukuyomi wanted more. With her.

No, that wasn't quite right. Or at least, that wasn't the problem. Setsuna wasn't blind. Tsukuyomi had always wanted more. Only now… now it wasn't something that could be explained by Tsukuyomi's unique people skills and bloodlust.

Tsukuyomi was in love with her.

That—Setsuna didn't have any idea how she was supposed to respond to that. It was bad enough that Tsukuyomi had kissed her, but that was—barely—manageable. Awkward and embarrassing on a level Setsuna wasn't the least bit prepared for, but not anything that couldn't be handled. Maybe. If she didn't think about it too hard.

Love was something else entirely. And after yesterday, Setsuna didn't think she could reasonably say that Tsukuyomi felt something less than that anymore. She'd wondered before, but the way Tsukuyomi looked at her just before—

There… wasn't really any way to argue with that.

Setsuna watched Tsukuyomi out of the corner of her eye. The girl had stopped pretending to pay attention to Negi within the first minute of class, preferring to focus all of her attention on Setsuna.

…She wouldn't stop smiling.

Kissing Setsuna had made her that happy.

Setsuna shoved the thought violently to the back of her head. She didn't know that for sure. Tsukuyomi had plenty of reasons to be happy. Her seal had finally been changed, resolving her warmth issues for the most part; she'd managed to annoy Asuna _again_, and…

And she'd kissed the girl she loved.

It would be easier to say that wasn't the main reason she was happy if—if—

If Setsuna didn't know what that felt like.

The pencil Setsuna was supposed to be using to take notes slipped from her fingers.

Suddenly, it was very hard to breathe. A dizzying amount of blood was flowing to her head.

She wasn't thinking straight. Everything with Tsukuyomi was just messing with her head, and she wasn't thinking properly at all, because if she were, there was no way she would ever admit to—she was Konoka's bodyguard—partner—not—

She was Konoka's partner and that was _it._ Yes, maybe their pactio kiss had meant the world but—

"Senpai?"

A hand brushed against Setsuna's shoulder. She jerked her head to look at Tsukuyomi. The girl's smile had lost some of its brightness, and her hand twitched uncertainly in the air between them for a second before she disregarded caution and lowered it to Setsuna's wrist. She shivered a little, cheeks flushed, and Setsuna felt the tingling in her face worsen in response.

"You're looking stressed. Something on your mind?"

Setsuna shook her now throbbing head. She wanted to stop thinking. She wanted to go back to when she hadn't cared enough about Tsukuyomi's feelings to let them completely dismantle her life. And above all, she wanted to erase the past few minutes from her memory because there were some things that _she just shouldn't think_.

"That's very hard to believe, Senpai." Tsukuyomi's fingers began to stroke skin left unprotected by Setsuna's shirt. "You haven't been your usual attentive self since—"

"I'm _fine_, Tsukuyomi," Setsuna snapped. She ripped her arm away from Tsukuyomi and picked her pencil back up. Her hands were shaking.

Surprisingly, Tsukuyomi fell silent without complaint.

Setsuna almost wished the other girl would keep pushing. At least then something would feel normal.

* * *

Apparently, one of the unspoken conditions of having her seal changed was that Tsukuyomi was no longer allowed to spend lunch alone. So instead of spending a very boring hour trying to remove the locks hiding away her roommates' toys, Tsukuyomi had the privilege of spending a very boring hour in complete silence with her second favorite person in the school.

After nearly an hour of watching Mana play with her guns, Tsukuyomi was starting to think her exchange with the princess was going to be her only conversation of the day.

Even through her persistent joy she could recognize that as an incredibly depressing thought.

"You really aren't going to say anything about it?"

Mana didn't look up from reassembling an oversized rifle. "I have little interest in your relationship with Setsuna. As long as the two of you aren't planning on killing each other, it doesn't concern me. Besides," she said dryly, "it seems that you're determined to ignore whatever advice I offer you."

"But I'm not asking for advice," Tsukuyomi pointed out. "I just want to know why you don't seem the least bit curious about why Setsuna and I were kissing."

"I assumed it was because you're in love with her and caught her off guard." Mana smirked. "I have to admit, I never pegged you for such a romantic. One kiss and you can't resist bragging to everyone willing to speak to you?"

Tsukuyomi grinned. "It was a very nice kiss."

"I'm sure. But you might have wanted to avoid telling Kagurazaka about it."

"You have good hearing."

"Good eyes; she wouldn't stop glaring at the two of you during class."

"Really?" Staring at Setsuna and worrying at how quickly her Senpai's face could go from red to white had occupied most of her time.

She was still very slightly concerned about what had prompted Setsuna's violent reaction. Whatever it was, it was very unlikely that it had nothing to do with her, and the few things that could shock Setsuna that badly were most likely not things Tsukuyomi wanted her thinking. It was fine if she was just mortified over the kiss, but a dramatic revelation probably wouldn't lead to anything good.

"She's more interested in your relationship than Setsuna is."

Tsukuyomi tried to pout, but her smile refused to go away. "Aw, that's cruel, Onee-san."

"I was only hired to watch you. Being nice isn't part of that arrangement."

Tsukuyomi propped herself up on Setsuna's pillow to watch Mana more easily, but she didn't get up. It was strange, but even after only a night of separation, she'd really missed her spot in her Senpai's nest. "Setsuna-senpai cares quite a bit." She wouldn't have changed the seal if she didn't. And of course, that she'd kissed back at all instead of pulling back in disgust meant… a lot. "It's just not the same way."

Mana's response to that was limited to a slight smile. She reached back into the box she'd taken out from under the bed and pulled out a small stack of paper. Tsukuyomi sat up straighter to get a better look. Charms.

She'd grabbed some yesterday too. If she was out already…

Well then. So there was some fun to be had in Mahora that didn't have anything to do with her Senpai.

"If the demon infestation is too much for you, I could always help," Tsukuyomi said casually. "You'd have to give me a weapon, but—?"

Mana laughed and pocketed the charms before grinning wryly at Tsukuyomi. "Setsuna might have decided to loosen your leash a bit, but there isn't a single person in this entire school willing to trust you with a weapon."

"You certainly know a lot about it for someone who's not interested."

"The headmaster is concerned," Mana said lightly, "and as I'm currently in his employ, he chose to share those concerns with me. And in general it's a good idea to keep an eye on people who were trying to kill your comrades not so long ago—and won't hesitate to do it again."

"I won't kill Setsuna-senpai."

The words (sounding uncomfortably defensive and sharp) came out before Tsukuyomi could think to stop them, leaving her roommate looking almost surprised. Tsukuyomi whipped her head around and fixed her gaze on the window. For her part, she was feeling a little…

_Embarrassed?_

Wasn't that a shame.

It was the type of emotion someone like her should probably feel when confessing that there was someone she wouldn't kill, and it was certainly preferable to the sheer revulsion the thought of a dead Setsuna tended to inspire, but really, a quibbling little emotion like that wasn't to her tastes at all.

An awkward silence fell.

After a few disturbingly quiet moments, Mana broke it. "That still leaves a considerable number of my classmates you wouldn't mind killing. No weapons."

Tsukuyomi sighed loudly. "You really aren't any fun."

* * *

By the time night fell in Evangeline's resort, Setsuna was almost beginning to regret her decision to take a more active role in Negi's training instead of devoting her attention to avoiding Konoka. Her body ached abominably, and she was having more trouble than she'd previously thought possible making her way from the bath to a bed.

But for a few blissful hours, her mind had been clear and focused as it hadn't been in far too long.

It was too bad that feeling couldn't last.

Battered and exhausted, all of the thoughts she'd distracted herself from were rushing back. She leaned heavily against a wall and stared at the floor.

What was she going to do?

"Looks like you pushed yourself a little too hard."

Rescued once again from her thoughts, Setsuna sprung to her feet properly—her body straining with the effort—only to blink in confusion when she found Asuna standing in front of her. She relaxed back into the wall and smiled halfheartedly at her friend. "Maybe. It's been a while since I've exhausted myself like this."

"Probably since your fight with Four-Eyes, right?"

Setsuna tensed. "I—yes, that sounds about right."

Asuna crossed her arms and avoided eye contact. She opened and closed her mouth several times. Setsuna waited nervously for her to say something. Suddenly having company instead of being alone with her thoughts wasn't so pleasant. She breathed in shakily. "Asuna-san?"

"She said something weird earlier."

"O-oh."

_Oh no._

Tsukuyomi wouldn't have _told_ Asuna—

Only… yes, yes she definitely would, and she'd certainly had the time, and that would explain why Asuna was paying so much attention to them during class—

She was going to kill Tsukuyomi. Of all the people she could have told, she just _had_ to tell _Asuna_.

Letting the odds of Asuna telling Konoka rush through her mind, Setsuna was painfully aware of her face going bright red. This was significantly worse than suffering through her own private thoughts about—what happened. At least then she wouldn't have to feel the disapproval coming off her friend in waves.

"Setsuna-san… you _didn't_."

"I didn't do anything," Setsuna protested weakly.

"_You kissed her_?" Asuna hissed.

"No!" Setsuna disregarded the stray thought that she really had no idea how she'd reacted to the kiss because it had driven all conscious thought from her mind. She had had _enough_ of thinking things she shouldn't. She started babbling, far too tired and flustered to keep the words from coming out. "She kissed me, and I didn't really know what to do since no one's ever kissed me outside of a pactio, and then Tatsumiya came in and—and I have no idea what to do because I don't know how to deal with anything like this—"

"What's there to deal with?" Asuna interrupted irritably. "Tell her to back off or you'll stop letting her outside. Better yet, get Kaede to room with her."

Setsuna clicked her mouth shut and turned her attention back to the floor. It took a humiliating amount of effort to resist telling Asuna that Tsukuyomi was staying with her regardless of anything else. Tsukuyomi wouldn't react well to someone else guarding her, and…

She didn't want to be separated from Tsukuyomi.

What was _wrong_ with her lately?

"Kaede's already rooming with the Narutaki twins."

Asuna huffed angrily. "So you're just going to let her assault you without doing anything about it?"

"She didn't—" Setsuna started to object, but she cut herself short. As far as Asuna was concerned, Tsukuyomi _had_ assaulted her. She only knew Tsukuyomi as an enemy. She didn't know how Tsukuyomi felt, and even if it was explained to her, she probably wouldn't believe it. Or think it mattered.

She didn't _care_ about Tsukuyomi.

Weariness that went beyond Setsuna's aching body flooded her being. She swallowed around the lump in her throat and focused on addressing Asuna instead of the strange squirmy feeling in her stomach.

"It wasn't really—an assault. She just… caught me off guard."

Asuna groaned. "You and Negi—"

"Asuna? Set-chan? What are you two doing out here?"

The significant amount of blood that had migrated to Setsuna's head throughout the conversation drained with alarming speed. Very slowly, she looked up, praying that her eyes would prove her ears wrong.

They didn't.

Konoka was standing a meter away, a look of benign curiosity on her face.

Setsuna pushed herself off the wall with what little strength remained in her body and tried to look like she had no reason to feel panicked at the mere sight of her partner. Something—possibly the flash of concern in Konoka's eyes—told her she didn't do a very good job. Asuna's suddenly rigid posture wasn't comforting either; if Konoka hadn't known something was going on before…

On the bright side, Setsuna thought frantically, maybe Asuna's reaction meant she had no interest in telling Konoka about the kiss after all. She couldn't think of a single reason why Asuna would be willing to keep it from their best friend, but she could only welcome the possibility. She stared numbly at her partner, who returned the gaze with growing confusion.

After several seconds of uncomfortable silence, Asuna rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "Uh—I just came out to check on Setsuna-san."

Forcing herself to do something other than staring blankly at Konoka, Setsuna nodded shallowly. "I-I overdid it a little."

The concern she'd seen in Konoka's eyes flared, and the girl took out her pactio card in what had to be record time. "Are you okay? I can heal you again if I missed something earlier."

Setsuna shook her head vigorously, feeling a touch of heat coming back to her cheeks. "I'm fine, Ojou-sama. Just a little tired."

Konoka looked at her dubiously and glanced at Asuna, who was trying hard to look innocent. "If you're sure," she said slowly. "But then why were you two arguing? Asuna only gets that annoyed when she's worried about something."

Guilt burned in Setsuna's stomach at the genuine, compassionate worry in Konoka's voice, and she found herself looking back at the increasingly familiar floor while Asuna tried to explain their encounter without using the phrase, "the psychopath kissed Setsuna-san."

She was going to _kill_ Tsukuyomi for this.

* * *

Tsukuyomi eyed her Senpai curiously.

Setsuna had come back from her lunch break looking uncharacteristically tired. She'd thanked Mana for her service in a strangely clipped fashion, promising to pay her as soon as possible, and then practically stomped out of their room, leaving Tsukuyomi to trail behind her.

Less strangely, she'd barely said a word to Tsukuyomi.

The very interesting sparks of irritation (and the more standard embarrassment) in Setsuna's eyes when she looked at her spoke volumes though. Of what, Tsukuyomi hadn't the slightest idea, but it was definitely interesting.

After several minutes of quietly marching to their next class, Tsukuyomi's curiosity got the better of her.

"Did something happen?"

Setsuna came to an immediate stop. Tsukuyomi continued walking until she was a short distance ahead and could easily see the emotions playing out in her Senpai's eyes. The embarrassment that was keeping her silent seemed to be at war with her frustration.

Oh yes, something had definitely happened, and it meant another interruption of Setsuna's attempted silent treatment.

"Did you _have_ to tell Asuna-san?"

Tsukuyomi smiled brightly as her mind put two and two together. Not only was Setsuna talking again, she was even willing to come close to discussing the joyful events of yesterday. If Tsukuyomi wasn't careful, she might end up thanking the princess.

She was having a _wonderful_ day.

"Of course, Senpai! It wouldn't have been right to lie to her after she asked so directly." Tsukuyomi peered a little more closely at Setsuna. Her Senpai had closed her eyes and her grip on Yūnagi might have been worrisome under other circumstances. "But I suppose if you wanted it to be just between us…"

* * *

Setsuna had every intention of snapping at Tsukuyomi for that remark—the teasing lilt in her voice implied something that Setsuna was in no way comfortable with—but when she opened her eyes, her voice died in her throat.

There was something—strange about Tsukuyomi. Something about her smile seemed different. It wasn't the _look_ Setsuna had come to have a very rational fear of, but at the same time… there was just something different about her.

There was a warmth in her eyes that Setsuna knew she'd never seen before. It made her mouth feel dry. For a surreal moment, she felt as dizzyingly numb as she had when Tsukuyomi kissed her.

"Setsuna-senpai?"

Rudely awakened from the haze she'd somehow fallen into, air—had she forgotten to breathe?—swooped back into her lungs and Setsuna found herself looking at the same Tsukuyomi she saw every day.

She tried to make her mouth work, but it just _wouldn't_.

"Are you alright?"

Setsuna walked stiffly past Tsukuyomi, mumbling something about getting to class. Her heart was beating abnormally fast, and she still felt a bit dizzy, but as long as she avoided looking at her roommate nothing felt too bizarre.

She took a shaky breath as they headed down the stairs.

_What was _that_?_


	17. Day 43

AN: So, so very sorry this is late... I've been having some health problems. That being said, I spent all of my time working on this feeling pretty lousy, so... well, hopefully it all turned out okay.

* * *

**Day 43**

* * *

Tsukuyomi had never been very enthusiastic about the Konoe heiress' weekly gatherings.

But she had to admit: Today had been incredibly entertaining.

"That was really uncomfortable, wasn't it?"

* * *

Setsuna winced as she trudged down the hall.

That was… one way of putting it.

"Uncomfortable" didn't do the sick feeling in Setsuna's stomach justice, though. Not that "uncomfortable" wasn't accurate, but…

She couldn't understand what had gone wrong. All she knew was that from the moment she'd stepped into the room with Tsukuyomi, everything had felt very, very awkward. And quiet. Even Negi's bright attempts at starting conversation had died off before long.

Asuna's silence could be easily explained. Her friend was still far from happy about the—kiss. Being forced to spend any time in an excessively perky Tsukuyomi's company would do little to make her feel any better about—anything, really.

But… Konoka…

Setsuna had never seen her partner so subdued before. Usually Konoka was the most outgoing of all of them, cheerful and happy to participate in any conversation. It was what made being around her so wonderful. But today…

Today she'd looked… sad.

And Setsuna didn't have any idea why.

Guilt assaulted her with every step. She _should_ know why. If something was bothering her partner, wasn't it her duty to help fix it? Wasn't that why she'd become Konoka's partner in the first place? To be there for her?

But now, when something was actually wrong, she couldn't even do that much. She had just sat there, feeling helpless. The closest she'd gotten to doing something useful was asking Konoka what was wrong as she and Tsukuyomi stepped out the door.

Konoka had told her not to worry.

Setsuna could just as easily stop breathing. As far as she was concerned, Konoka should _never_ have a reason to look like that; of course she was going to worry, she _cared_ about Konoka.

Very much.

There had to be something she could do.

"Oh, are you still not talking to me?"

Setsuna's eyes shifted over to her charge automatically, derailing her thoughts. She quickly tore her gaze away before she could take in too much of Tsukuyomi's smile. "I didn't think you were looking for an answer."

"I always enjoy hearing your voice, Senpai."

Setsuna didn't think she disguised the stiffening of her shoulders very well.

"I know the princess has been in a bad mood all week," Tsukuyomi continued, "but I don't think I've ever seen your Ojou-sama so quiet. I wonder what could have happened."

The complete lack of concern in her voice came very close to being disturbing. Setsuna spun around.

"Do you know anything?"

Tsukuyomi met her eyes easily. "I might have an idea," she drawled. "But if I'm right, there's nothing you can do about it, so there's no point worrying."

It took more effort than Setsuna felt comfortable with to return Tsukuyomi's gaze. She took a deep breath and tried in vain to forget that the week she'd had meant Konoka wasn't her only concern. "That's not how it works, Tsukuyomi. What do you know?"

"It's only an idea. I'm not really fussed over what happens to her—I think I like her more when she's quiet though—"

"_Tsukuyomi_."

Glaring at the insufferable girl didn't seem to have much of an effect. Tsukuyomi's smile widened and her eyes glinted with unnatural happiness. Setsuna quickly looked away. "I don't really understand it either, so it's no wonder it's upsetting her so much…"

"_What's_ upsetting her?"

For a long moment, Tsukuyomi didn't say anything. Out of the corner of her eye, Setsuna could see her playing with her hair. She still needed it cut; it was starting to get in her eyes. It would get annoying soon—assuming it wasn't already.

If she'd still been looking directly at Tsukuyomi's face, Setsuna might have caught the sudden change in expression. The warning. Instead, caught up in very strange thoughts about Tsukuyomi's _hair_, she was left very surprised by her roommate's sudden appearance inside her personal space.

Common sense told Setsuna to step away from Tsukuyomi and walk the few meters left to their room, where there was a witness.

But the strange, dizzy feeling she'd been having problems with all week kept her from moving.

And suddenly Tsukuyomi's face was close and her arms were around her neck and Setsuna swore her face had never felt so hot before.

Something that wasn't quite fear jolted through her.

Entirely against her will, she found herself looking straight into Tsukuyomi's eyes. The _look_ was back. That burning, all-consuming _look _that Setsuna really wanted to hate. Her heart pounded in her chest, and for a bizarre moment she wondered if Tsukuyomi would kiss her again—and why the idea didn't scare her as much as it should have.

Using what little sense she had available, she tried to focus her attention on something else—anything else—but her mind felt jammed. Slow. Like the only thing that existed was the warm (_loving_) look Tsukuyomi was giving her. That and Tsukuyomi's breath against—

Completely forgetting that Tsukuyomi might have a bad reaction, Setsuna yanked herself away as quickly as she could, taking solace in the sudden, cold wave of sanity that washed over her the second she was out of Tsukuyomi's grasp.

She was sweating.

Next to her, Tsukuyomi seemed perfectly composed—ignoring the way her fingernails were digging into the palms of her hands.

"I told you," she said after nearly a minute of silence. "It's just an idea."

* * *

She'd forgotten just how _badly_ she would _want _Setsuna when her Senpai pulled away like that. Thoughts of blood and screams and fighting and lust were screeching in Tsukuyomi's head. She wished her nails were longer. The pain in her hands wasn't nearly enough to distract her.

It didn't help that this was the first time she'd touched Setsuna in a while.

Blissful thoughts of her Senpai screaming flitted through her head, making her moan softly.

No, it didn't help _at all_. Her fingers were longing for one more touch, and she didn't think much of the survival instinct keeping her from reattaching herself to Setsuna. One more second—just _one_—and she could have stolen a second kiss from her Senpai.

And she would have. If Setsuna could have regained her senses just a little bit later…

Tsukuyomi shivered. Frustration and wanting and the all too weak pain in her hands coursed through her relentlessly, and the heady visions in her mind responded with a luscious intensity that left her feeling short of breath. Thoughts of kissing Setsuna _everywhere_, of lapping up blood seeping from slices she would engrave in her pale, perfect skin were consuming her, and—

And—

_Don't think about killing her don't think about killing her don't think about how _fun

Tsukuyomi's nails dug even further into her palms. She could feel the faintest stirrings of panic growing outside of her pleasurable thoughts, ruining the moment. Already she was coming far too close to imagining what it would be like to drive her sword slowly into Setsuna's chest cavity and _twisting_—

Maybe providing an example hadn't been the best idea.

But how was she supposed to resist when Setsuna was acting so very adorable?

Tsukuyomi glanced at her ever-mortified Senpai. Setsuna was staring at the floor, face bright red, looking as miserable as Tsukuyomi had ever seen her.

She was probably still worrying about Konoka. Her _partner_.

Almost at once, Tsukuyomi's racing—forbidden—thoughts calmed. Her hands relaxed slightly, and she bit back a laugh. She tried to focus on that feeling. The happiness. She militantly dismissed the thought of taking the root of that happiness away and slicing it to pieces. Yes, it would be fun, but—

But.

She took another look at Setsuna.

That horribly unhappy expression could have been worrying under different circumstances.

But _these_ circumstances…

Suddenly Tsukuyomi couldn't help herself. She laughed.

The noise seemed to startle Setsuna out of her perusal of the floor. She looked up, caught between glaring and looking horrified. Still bright red, she had to open and close her mouth several times before any sound came out.

"It's not funny," she said at last.

"Yes, it is."

Because it was, and Setsuna could refuse to see it all she wanted, but it would still be the funniest, most fantastic thing Tsukuyomi had come across in all her time at Mahora.

She was _winning_. And Konoka knew it.

Tsukuyomi wasn't naïve enough to think that Setsuna would ever return her feelings. She had a few indulgent fantasies about the possibility—more than a few, most of which had appeared after the wonderful kiss and made her feel ridiculously happy—but Setsuna didn't even like her. The chances of anything more developing were depressingly slim.

However… given recent events, she was starting to think that she might be able to do something about certain other aspects of their relationship even if she couldn't do anything about the feelings side of things.

_Something_ was going on. Since the kiss, something had changed in the way Setsuna looked at her. True, lately it was a very rare thing for their eyes to meet for more than a split second, but when they did… there was something there. Something that made Setsuna blush even more than she did when she looked at Konoka.

Tsukuyomi liked it.

Konoka did not.

And Setsuna was so caught up in whatever it was that she had just noticed her cherished partner's distress today.

It was almost tempting to tell Setsuna how long it had been going on, but that would probably lead to Konoka getting even more attention that she didn't deserve. Tsukuyomi wasn't about to risk that; not when their silent battle over Setsuna was finally going in her favor. She liked being the focus of her Senpai's attention, and she _loved_ seeing the Konoe girl unhappy.

Tsukuyomi should have kissed Setsuna ages ago.

Konoka was _losing_.

Tsukuyomi laughed again.

"Does it really bother you that much?"

Oh, she liked that look.

Still chuckling, she walked past Setsuna and over to their door. Sometimes she forgot just how fun teasing her Senpai was.

* * *

She—

Tsukuyomi—

That—

She had to be close to passing out. There was enough blood in her head, wasn't there?

She did not want to be conscious for this.

Konoka had _noticed_?

Setsuna cheeks burned even as a small, cruel part of her cheered at the thought of it bothering Konoka in the first place. How had she missed that?

How could she let her new reactions to Tsukuyomi be so obvious in the first place?

Why did she have to react to Tsukuyomi at all?

Setsuna scowled halfheartedly at the person who seemed determined to be the source of all the problems in her life. Said source was just starting to get her laughter under control. And her hair was getting in her eyes. Setsuna wanted to snap at her. Not for the first time, she wished that they still had the kind of relationship where attempted murder wasn't unusual.

…Only she didn't. Not really.

She was almost starting to think that she might actually—

Setsuna shook her head. That thought had been dangerously close to completing itself lately, but thinking it through would just complicate everything even more—and it was already more confusing than she knew how to deal with.

"Are we going in?" Tsukuyomi asked helpfully.

Setsuna took a deep breath. "Yes." She walked over to the door, internally flinching at how close she had to stand to Tsukuyomi to unlock it. She could feel the other girl's eyes boring into her, and it was making her feel uncomfortably… odd. Again. Searching for some kind of distraction, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "You need a haircut."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tsukuyomi fingering her bangs. "Yes, I might."

Setsuna nodded stiffly, feeling like an idiot, and shoved open the door with more force than probably necessary. She held it open for Tsukuyomi and mumbled an incoherent greeting to Mana, who was sitting on the lower bunk cleaning one of her guns. Tsukuyomi was substantially more enthusiastic about her hello. She edged past Setsuna and bounced over to sit on the bed.

"Good morning, Onee-san!"

"Good morning, Tsukuyomi," Mana said, batting Tsukuyomi's wandering hand away from her precious rifle. Tsukuyomi pouted for a moment before turning to leer at Setsuna, who was standing by the door wondering, a little belligerently, why Tsukuyomi was so eager to sit next to their other roommate.

"So," Tsukuyomi said after a few seconds of indecent staring, "does this mean you're going to let me out of the school?"

"No," Setsuna said immediately, momentarily forgetting why Tsukuyomi was asking.

"Then… that would make you the one cutting my hair?"

The mere idea was enough to bring Setsuna's already impaired mind to a screeching halt—and then send it into overdrive. Flustered thoughts flurried through her head at the seemingly innocent suggestion, the most sane of which reminded her that it probably wouldn't be too hard to find a barber shop in Academy City, and Tsukuyomi was technically allowed to go there—before she remembered that part of her guardianship over the girl included keeping her away from as many people as possible, and that there was a very good reason for that.

Over on the bed, Mana's hands had stopped dragging a rag over her gun. One of her eyebrows was raised, and there was a distinctly amused glint in her eye as she smiled at Setsuna.

Setsuna flushed under the attention, having the very disconcerting feeling—not for the first time—that Mana understood far too much of the difficulties she'd been having with Tsukuyomi all week. She was pretty sure the gunslinger's burgeoning friendship (if it could be called that) with the blonde had something to do with that, but that only made her feel more uncomfortable. Hearing nothing but Tsukuyomi's point of view on their relationship had to form a very warped picture of what was really going on.

She looked at Tsukuyomi, eyeing the light strands that were starting to crawl over the girl's glasses. She did need a haircut. And if she was going to be around someone holding sharp objects, Setsuna was the best choice. The only choice, really.

And maybe if there was a little less of it, Setsuna would stop being so distracted by Tsukuyomi's hair and her weird reactions to her roommate would come to an end.

* * *

When Tsukuyomi had made the suggestion, she had briefly entertained the notion that Setsuna would take Yūnagi to her head. It wasn't anything close to an actual fight, no, but the whistle of a blade rushing through air and slicing anything sounded positively orgasmic right now.

She was starting to think it had maybe been a little too long since she'd been able to cut someone up. She should put more effort into changing that. A lot more.

Tsukuyomi tapped her fingers against her thigh and looked disinterestedly around the bathroom she'd been ordered to sit in. Maybe it was just her imagination getting the best of her, but she could feel parts of her body beginning to ache in anticipation. Regardless of the specific tool, soon Setsuna would be behind her with a sharp object. If her Senpai cared to, she could easily slit her throat. She'd be completely at Setsuna's mercy.

And even better, Mana had left the room the instant Setsuna agreed to cut her hair. Quickly enough to be considered rude, but Tsukuyomi wasn't about to mind that when it meant she got to spend time alone with Setsuna when her Senpai was being forced to invade her personal space.

Tsukuyomi craned her neck to get a better view of the room Setsuna was rummaging around in for the scissors. Apparently, she didn't trust Tsukuyomi enough to let her know where they were kept. So they weren't in the locked stash under the bed. She'd have to remember that.

It was almost surprising how enticing the prospect of a real cutting instrument being in her proximity was.

* * *

Setsuna took a deep breath and stared down at Tsukuyomi's reflection. The blonde's eyes were glued to the scissors. Every few seconds, her entire body would twitch.

"You'll need to stop fidgeting."

"I'm not fidgeting."

"If you don't stay still, I can't do a neat job."

Tsukuyomi's gaze switched over to Setsuna's reflection. "It's just hair, Senpai. It shouldn't cause you too much trouble. And even if you tried, I doubt you could do as poorly as Fate-han."

Setsuna frowned. "_Fate_ cut your hair?"

Thinking back, she could remember noticing that the edges were a little ragged just before their fight, but she'd thought Tsukuyomi had done that herself.

"I think he was aiming for my head."

Setsuna didn't say anything in response to that—mostly because her first thought was uncomfortably violent and only further evidenced that there was something very wrong with the way her mind was working lately.

Tsukuyomi's eyes were back on the scissors. And she was still twitching.

Setsuna stared unhappily at the stray bangs that had gotten her into this situation and tried to quell the stirrings of panic reminding her that she'd have to get closer to Tsukuyomi to cut her hair. She took a step forward and took a comb off the counter.

"At least try to stay still."

* * *

That was easier said than done.

Setsuna was being careful—very careful—and avoiding any direct skin contact, but for once Tsukuyomi wasn't too concerned with where her Senpai's hands were. Her focus was on those delightfully sharp scissors. The quiet snips filled her ears and consumed her with a restless need to go out and bathe her swords in blood.

She almost regretted playing with Setsuna earlier. She was perhaps a little more… keyed up than she might be otherwise, and that was making it very, very hard to relax.

_Snip. Snip._

It didn't help that relaxation was the furthest thing from her mind at the moment. She eyed the scissors.

Weapons. Sharp edges that could be gouged into necks; thrust into soft, waiting flesh.

She could feel herself growing more agitated by the second.

She _wanted_ them, and despite Setsuna's close proximity, all she could think of was that yearning.

It was familiar and sharp and with sudden clarity, she realized that it truly had been too long since she'd sunk a weapon into someone. She'd missed feeling like this—this was how she was supposed to feel. Ready and waiting. Purposed bloodlust as opposed to the haze of the normal sort that came from being around her Senpai.

She'd fallen very far indeed to be aroused so thoroughly by a pair of scissors, but the feeling was still there.

_Snip._

Tsukuyomi's hands twitched in time with the noise.

* * *

Setsuna was embarrassed to note how soft Tsukuyomi's hair was. It was surprisingly fluid, sifting easily through her fingers. She didn't have to look at the mirror to know she was blushing. Not that she understood why it was so embarrassing to begin with—it just was.

But at the same time, the steady rhythm of the scissors was starting to relax her. She felt better now that she was focused on a specific task. Tsukuyomi's silence helped greatly too, though she was still twitching quite a bit.

It was calming, and the thought occurred to her that she probably shouldn't feel this way around Tsukuyomi. She ignored it and focused on cutting.

So for the second time that day, she missed the danger signs in Tsukuyomi's eyes.

* * *

They were too close. Shining in Setsuna's hand—_taunting_ her—like that, they were too tantalizing to resist.

Self-control had never been her strong suit.

She didn't think about what she'd do after she got them. That was irrelevant.

Tsukuyomi lunged forward, fully intent on liberating the scissors from Setsuna's relaxed hand.

* * *

She should have known better, Setsuna thought, than to _ever_ bring Tsukuyomi anywhere near a sharp object.

That lingering bit of common sense burst into life just as Tsukuyomi sprang up from her chair. Instincts screamed at Setsuna to move—_to keep the scissors away from Tsukuyomi_—but all she could do was take a surprised step back.

She shouldn't have been surprised. This was Tsukuyomi.

But she was, and she was cursing herself for not reacting properly and—when had she started thinking it was acceptable to let her guard down around Tsukuyomi?

Her grip was too relaxed around the scissors, and in the split second it took Tsukuyomi's hand to reach them, she could do nothing to remedy that.

* * *

At any other time, the blistering heat radiating off Setsuna's hand would have been intoxicating. Tsukuyomi ignored it. All that was on her mind was that the sharp object was being shielded and she needed to get it out. Memories of the last time she'd held a weapon were interfering now and she wanted it she wanted it she wanted it—

Tsukuyomi grabbed the tip of the scissors and pulled.

The scissors sprang free from Setsuna's hand and Tsukuyomi quickly flipped them so she was holding them properly. Setsuna's arm was moving rapidly in response and in no time they would be wrestling over the weapon—

And then Tsukuyomi heard it.

The rip of opening flesh.

* * *

The blood drained from Setsuna's face even as Tsukuyomi's body slammed into hers and sent her crashing to the floor. Her head hit the tiles with a crack but she barely noticed. All of her attention was focused on the dilated eyes of the girl pinning her to the floor. Eyes that were gazing hungrily down at Setsuna's arm. Something warm was slowly seeping down it.

Having a very bad day reaction-wise, Setsuna could only stare as Tsukuyomi ducked down and licked the blood off her arm. The girl moaned loudly.

_That_ finally made her body respond the way it was supposed to. Blushing very badly, Setsuna pushed Tsukuyomi off of her and flipped her over, twisting her arms behind her back and grabbing the scissors with her spare hand.

Tsukuyomi was thrashing against her, but her movements were largely ineffective and—weak.

Since when had Tsukuyomi been this weak?

Setsuna fought to keep her voice steady. "Tsukuyomi, calm down."

* * *

Setsuna's body was so soft and hard and strong on top of hers.

The blood was burning in her mouth. She could feel it on her tongue and its ambrosial taste was unlike anything her memory or fantasies could have provided. And there was such heat pressing down against her back.

Her clarity was gone, and in its place was the wild desire to have Setsuna back under her, so that Tsukuyomi could do whatever she pleased to her. And with a weapon in hand, the possibilities became virtually, delightfully endless.

She was shivering with want, and her tongue flicked out of her mouth, searching for more of Setsuna's blood. Her body _ached_.

"Tsukuyomi, calm down."

She wanted to kiss Setsuna, to touch her, to leave her screaming and begging and—

The pressure on her back increased.

"Tsukuyomi."

She continued to fight against Setsuna's hold on her, moaning at the friction her movements caused between their bodies. She heard Setsuna gasp—so softly it might have been ignored if she had not been so utterly, fantastically aware of everything that made up her Senpai.

That little inhalation made her stomach tingle, and she groaned in frustration. If Setsuna would just _let_ her free, it would feel so _good_ for both of them—

And then the world went dark.

* * *

"Did you have to knock me out?"

Setsuna didn't look up from tying the bandage around her arm. She didn't think looking at Tsukuyomi right now was a good idea. Her cheeks were still burning. "I didn't think you were going to calm down on your own."

She heard Tsukuyomi sigh. "But it was just getting good."

The sheer absurdity of that statement made Setsuna look up. She was rather surprised at what she saw. Instead of a bright leer, the smile on Tsukuyomi's face was obviously forced.

She looked uncomfortable.

Not sure if expressing concern over someone she had recently had to physically restrain was appropriate or not, Setsuna turned back to her arm.

She should probably be more upset over Tsukuyomi losing control. Tsukuyomi was still a prisoner, and outbursts like that were definitely not appropriate. But for some reason, Setsuna mostly felt relief that Tsukuyomi was back to normal.

That couldn't be a good sign.

* * *

Tsukuyomi spent the rest of the day lying on her bed while Setsuna pretended to do homework.

In general, she didn't approve of brooding. It was dull and pointless and much more suited for someone like Setsuna. Or Fate. Or anyone else not her.

But… the feeling was gone. The focus and wanting that had come with being so close to a viable weapon had vanished.

She liked feeling like that.

She hadn't really considered it before, but except for when she'd been a very small child, this was the longest she'd ever gone without killing something. No wonder something silly like a pair of scissors could make her react so strongly.

…She missed killing.

She closed her eyes and sighed softly. She'd felt so free and happy when she'd realized that she didn't need to make escaping her top priority and she could just enjoy her time with Setsuna. Time spent with Setsuna made up for the peaceful life she was forced to endure.

But she missed killing.

Maybe Setsuna wasn't enough anymore.

* * *

By the time night fell, Setsuna and Tsukuyomi were both more tired than they had any desire to admit, and they prepared themselves for bed silently. Mana was still absent—probably off attempting to contain the school's recent demon problem. Setsuna chose not to think about how badly she wanted to join her.

All was well until Tsukuyomi asked a question very softly, without any of her usual teasing.

"Can I start sleeping with you again?"

Setsuna blinked, partly at the tone, mostly at the question. Unsure why her immediate answer wasn't a resounding "NO," she stared at the window over Tsukuyomi's shoulder.

"I—thought things were better with the different seal…"

Tsukuyomi shrugged. "They were, now they're not."

"O-oh."

An awkward silence fell between them, and Setsuna looked down at her bedding. The right answer would be that yes, they could sleep together as long as Tsukuyomi could control herself. If something was wrong, Setsuna wouldn't feel right doing nothing when she knew she could help.

On the other hand, sleeping with Tsukuyomi could very easily make her body's strange reactions to the girl act up, and she really didn't want that.

"Is that why you reacted so strongly to the scissors?" she asked uncertainly, stalling.

It took Tsukuyomi a minute to reply. "…Yes."

More silence.

Setsuna heard Tsukuyomi sigh breezily. The girl flopped herself down on the sheets on the floor and grinned up at Setsuna.

"I'm still me, Senpai. If you want me to behave, you'll have to satisfy me _somehow_." Her eyes flickered to the bandage on Setsuna's arm as she said that, and Setsuna quickly hid the limb behind her back, but otherwise didn't respond to the obvious baiting.

Biting her tongue, Setsuna walked over to the sheets and sat down. Tsukuyomi wasted no time in latching herself to her arm. Setsuna could feel her head about to explode, but she didn't move. She endured Tsukuyomi's hug for several moments before lying down carefully on the pillow. Tsukuyomi cuddled closer to her.

Setsuna felt something in her chest tighten, and the air she was breathing in didn't seem like enough. She looked down at Tsukuyomi's head and gulped.

She was in trouble.

She exhaled slowly and closed her eyes, letting Tsukuyomi's breathing lull her to sleep.

It was moments before she slid into unconsciousness that it hit her:

She had completely forgotten about Konoka.


	18. Day 46

AN: As always, sorry this took forever. More importantly, this chapter is written a little differently than past ones. Setsuna's pov dominates it. Tsukuyomi's pov should dominate the next one. Also, due to the mention of a certain holiday, the timeline has pretty much locked itself now. Which... probably doesn't really matter.

In conclusion.

Please don't kill me.

* * *

**Day 46**

* * *

She wasn't avoiding Konoka. Not in the slightest. They just seemed to keep missing each other. That was all it was. And if Setsuna was constantly checking to make sure that her bandaged arm was covered—that was just being intelligent, wasn't it? No one she knew would be pleased to know she'd allowed Tsukuyomi the opportunity to attack her.

Setsuna wasn't exactly pleased with it herself, but at the moment that was the least of her concerns. Concerns that she really didn't involve Konoka with. So it wasn't exactly avoidance. She just wasn't going out of her way to meet up with her partner like she usually would.

And Konoka wasn't trying to talk to her.

She leaned against the wall she was sitting in front of. One of the few things about her current problems that wasn't a complete mystery, and she was too much of a coward to do anything about it. She'd tried to muster up some degree of hatred for Tsukuyomi for pointing the mess out to her, but at this point she thought it was best to spend as little time thinking about Tsukuyomi as humanly possible.

That was proving uncomfortably difficult. It helped that Tsukuyomi was spending an unusual amount of time daydreaming about something (_another_ worrying thing—how did this keep happening to her?) and was being incredibly considerate about leaving Setsuna alone, but…

It was confusing. No matter how she tried to distract herself, no matter how much she threw herself into training with her friends, her thoughts kept straying back to Tsukuyomi. Even worse, her eyes were constantly betraying her and she found herself staring at her roommate much more than was appropriate.

Setsuna couldn't hold back a flinch at that thought. She thought… she thought she might know why. But for now, she could do without examining that too closely. It wasn't something she wanted, and with something like that, want was important, wasn't it?

If she had the courage to ask, Konoka and Asuna would probably tell her that her desires had been all over the place since Kyoto, and perhaps she wasn't the best person to be making decisions for herself. With this, though, they'd at least agree with her conclusion, even if the concept of it being a question at all in the first place would disturb them.

She really wished she could talk to one of them about this. She'd considered asking Mana, but the mocking she'd have to endure before she got any actual advice wasn't worth it. And Tsukuyomi was friends with Mana now, so any attempts to have a private conversation would probably blow up in her face to begin with.

She sighed and briefly considered what, exactly, Evangeline would do to her if she bashed her head repeatedly into parts of the resort, and if the wrath she'd incur would be worth the relief the pain would provide.

Then she realized she was starting to think about pain in precisely the wrong sort of way, and her thoughts went straight back to Tsukuyomi.

…Maybe she was a masochist?

That would at least explain while she was sitting outside instead of resting in a soft bed like everyone else. She had tried to sleep, but the room felt too quiet, and the bed was too cold, and it just felt very strange not to have a body curled up against hers.

She was in _so_ much trouble.

"Set-chan? What are you doing up so late?"

Setsuna bolted up from her spot on the ground. "Kono—Ojou-sama!"

Konoka smiled at her. Normally, she probably would have laughed, but Setsuna would take a smile over unhappy looks any day. She sat down by Setsuna's feet. After a moment or two, she tugged on Setsuna's sleeve until they were sitting side by side.

"Are you having trouble sleeping?"

Setsuna nodded uncertainly. When Konoka looked expectantly at her, she gave up and just let the honest truth spill out of her mouth. "I've gotten used to having a roommate, so it feels… strange, sleeping alone."

This time, Konoka did laugh. It sounded a little off for some reason, but when she rested her head on Setsuna's shoulder, Setsuna convinced herself that she was imagining things. It had just been a while since she'd heard Konoka laugh.

"You're just getting used to it now, Set-chan? You've been sharing your room for ages."

Embarrassment burned Setsuna's cheeks. "It's… different now. I don't really know why," she said, laughing uncomfortably. "It just feels strange."

They sat silently next to each other for a long minute. Konoka let out a barely-audible sigh that Setsuna almost missed and wrapped her arms around Setsuna's waist.

"That's a good thing, isn't it? If you're feeling that comfortable around her, you must be starting to trust her a little, so you should be able to relax a bit."

Setsuna double-checked that her bandaged arm was still very well concealed and shrugged guiltily. "I don't think I trust her that much, really… I've just gotten used to her."

She thought she could feel Konoka smile into her shoulder. "Still, that's one less thing to worry about. And ever since you started watching her, you've been doing nothing but worrying. It's not good for you. This is better, even if it means sleeping here is a little strange."

Setsuna wasn't sure if she could agree with that. _Everything_ was strange now, not just sleeping arrangements. "Were you having trouble sleeping too, Kono-chan?"

"Well," she said lightly, "I wasn't trying to sleep to begin with."

Setsuna looked down at her in confusion. "Why not?"

A very strange expression that Setsuna couldn't identify flitted across Konoka's face. She was still smiling, but for a split second it had almost felt like she was going to start crying. Then she reached one of her hands up and held it to her cheek.

"I had a tricky decision to make, and I wanted to be able to think about it properly before I did anything."

Concern rocketed its way to Setsuna's brain and she turned to face her partner properly. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not really." Konoka laughed awkwardly. "I'm being silly about it. I know what I want to do, but for some reason, making myself do it is really hard."

"Is there any way I can—" Setsuna started, but she was cut off by Konoka's finger pressing against her lips.

Her partner laughed again. "Set-chan. We just got you to stop worrying so much. Don't try to start again. Besides, one part is easy. It's just everything else that's tricky."

Setsuna didn't think Konoka realized how worrying the words that were coming out of her mouth were, but before she had the chance to tell the girl that, Konoka was standing up and turning away from her. Then, very quickly, she spun around again. She was smiling brightly.

"Set-chan, would you like to go out with me?"

* * *

"I don't think I've seen you look upset before."

Tsukuyomi leaned back against the pillow on her bunk and stuck her tongue out at Mana. Mana, predictably, rolled her eyes and continued adjusting the scope on the gun of the day. Clearly, she had no appreciation for how cruel her Senpai was being.

After lunch, looking even paler than the ghost that hung around the reporter girl, Setsuna had stumbled back into their room and announced that Mana's services would be required after the school day ended. Because _she_ had something to do with her Ojou-sama.

The whole thing struck Tsukuyomi as incredibly unfair. When she first came to this school, Setsuna never would have let her out of her sight for so long. She'd thought that maybe injuring her Senpai with the scissors would convince Setsuna that her first position (minus the adorable chilliness) was the correct one.

She had already settled it many times in her head, but the support for murdering Konoka the second she was free seemed to be growing every second.

"You know it's not a real date, right? She wouldn't have made it back out the door if Konoe asked her out seriously."

Tsukuyomi sighed. "That's a horrible way of looking at it, Onee-san."

"I did tell you not to try seducing her."

"I haven't been!" Outside of kissing her and attacking her with the scissors, which Mana probably wouldn't count as seduction no matter how her relationship with Setsuna worked, she'd barely done anything.

"Uh-huh."

Tsukuyomi sighed mournfully and looked up at the bottom of the top bunk.

So Setsuna was still in love with Konoka.

She could have sworn she knew that. It made perfect sense, after all, and she did like to pay her Senpai extra attention whenever possible. Just because Setsuna was starting to give her looks that made her shiver delightfully didn't mean that she was over her little bodyguard-crush. Setsuna had been in love with Konoka for pretty much forever, so it only made sense that her feelings hadn't faded yet. And being in denial couldn't have helped her.

It still hurt. Tsukuyomi hated the feeling, but seeing her Senpai (_hers_) so shaken up about an outing with the ojou-sama that she didn't even have the nerve to call a date in the first place… Yes, it hurt.

She didn't like it one bit.

And knowing that Konoka had bothered to ask Setsuna out was not helping anything, since Konoka actually knew what was going on in both of their complicated relationships with Setsuna, and since she knew all it would take from her to defuse things was to _ask_ Setsuna, she asked, which meant no matter what Setsuna was currently feeling, she'd be forever wrapped around her beloved Ojou-sama.

There was nothing Tsukuyomi liked about this, and if she weren't tied down to this school without complete access to her varied capabilities, she would be running around looking for a weapon. Killing out of emotional frustration instead of physical need was still a relatively new concept to her, but killing usually made everything better.

Unfortunately, Setsuna had taken Yūnagi out of the room with her.

"Maybe we could go out and follow them. Your class does things like that all the time and no one complains."

"It's our class, not just mine. Besides," Mana smirked at her, "you haven't seen what Setsuna's paying me to look after you. You aren't stepping one foot outside this room."

Tsukuyomi sat up on the bed and cast a longing look at the door. If she had access to her power, she could have easily outrun the gunslinger to it and escaped to stalk her Senpai. "How long do you think it will take them to get back?"

"That depends entirely on them. Normally the cheerleaders deal with ordering the Halloween supplies, and it takes them the whole week before because they always end up doing something else instead."

"But this time Setsuna-senpai's Ojou-sama is doing it? Is she being punished for something?" Tsukuyomi enjoyed a moment of unholy glee at the idea.

"Do you and Setsuna just not pay any attention during class?"

"Senpai's been a model student lately," Tsukuyomi pointed out. Under normal circumstances, she would find Setsuna throwing herself so thoroughly into schoolwork amusing, but processing her own recent concerns had eliminated some of the enjoyment.

Mana chuckled. "That's a 'yes' then."

"Why?" Tsukuyomi prodded.

Mana turned fully to look at her. "This time around, Konoe specifically asked to be in charge of going out and fetching everything. If the two of you ever bothered paying attention, you'd know that."

* * *

_Setsuna felt her face go slack. "L-like a—"_

_Konoka laughed and clasped her hands together behind her back, turning away from Setsuna once again. "No, I put that the wrong way. What I meant was… well you know Halloween's coming up, right?"_

_Setsuna didn't even nod. She just continued to stare blankly at her partner._

"_I ended up with the job of going out and getting everything for this year's haunted house. I was hoping you'd like to join me."_

* * *

"Do you think Eva-chan would be annoyed if we gave everyone vampire fangs?"

"She didn't mind Negi-sensei wearing them for the school festival."

"That's _Negi-kun_ though. And I'm not sure she knew about that."

"Oh. Well if we gave them to everyone she'd probably tell us—"

Was this really happening?

Was it a dream?

Setsuna didn't know what to make of any of this, but no matter how solid the feeling of Konoka's hand in hers was, none of it felt real. She felt like her mind had completely detached itself from her body, and now it was drifting around, watching as she somehow functioned like a sane, relaxed human being.

This wasn't actually a date, she reminded herself for the twelfth time. The way Konoka had asked for her help was just a little unusual. She hadn't meant for it to sound like she was asking her out for real. She'd just gotten ahead of herself.

This wasn't a…

_Then what _is_ it?_

Setsuna was hopelessly confused. It should have been a very basic thing to understand. Konoka had asked for her help in retrieving Halloween supplies along with looking for some new toys they could use. She had agreed because Konoka shouldn't be doing work like that by herself. That was how it was supposed to be.

Instead, every time Konoka left to talk to the person in charge of whatever shop they were exploring at the time, Setsuna couldn't help but notice that there was something very different about the way Konoka had been behaving. The last time they'd done something like this together, they'd come away from it as partners.

What would happen this time?

Setsuna wasn't sure.

She didn't even know if she cared when Konoka was standing next to her. With Konoka by her side, it was easy to smile and laugh and offer suggestions about whether or not certain things would be a good idea. In fact, it was easier than ever to talk to her partner. Her face had stayed mercifully pale the entire time. Everything felt… fine.

But then she remembered the way Konoka had asked her to do this, and how after at least a week of awkwardness between them they were both acting like nothing had ever happened—and in her case, she almost _felt_ like nothing had happened.

She had no idea what was going on.

Should she be asking about what had been bothering Konoka in the resort? Should she just be doing what she was doing, and enjoy the time with her partner?

Should she ask if the way Konoka first phrased her request was really a mistake?

She was still mulling it over when Konoka grabbed her arm excitedly and said they should take a break and grab something to eat.

* * *

"_She asked you out on a date?"_

"_No! Yes—I don't know!"_

_She avoided looking directly at Tsukuyomi's eyes. Somehow, after hours of all of the blood in her body being sapped out of her head, it was flowing back at an alarming rate. Mana was standing in a corner, doing her best to stay out of the discussion._

_If this was a discussion._

_Setsuna glanced at her open closet. If Tsukuyomi hadn't asked why she was changing clothes in the middle of the day, none of this would have come up, and she could have left without feeling guilty about it._

_Not that she had anything to feel guilty about, it was just awkward leaving their room when Tsukuyomi looked… hurt._

* * *

"Let's see…" Konoka tapped her spoon against her lips, sipping up the melted ice cream from it. "I think after we check on the fake blood, we should be just about done."

Setsuna's stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch. "Um, how much like real blood does it look like?"

Konoka looked up in surprise from the scrap of paper she was examining. Then her eyes softened, and her lips mouthed an, "oh."

"I'm not sure. Do you think Tsukuyomi-san might have a problem with it?"

The part of Setsuna's brain that wasn't perfectly content traipsing around with Konoka on a beautiful autumn day twitched. They had gotten away with not mentioning her roommate since they stepped outside of Evangeline's resort.

"I'm not sure," she answered honestly. With how keyed up Tsukuyomi had been lately, even the idea of blood could be enough to get her overly excited, but at the same time, she didn't care much for fake violence.

"I don't think we can get away with not having it…"

"It's fine," Setsuna hurried to say. "If it causes any trouble… I can manage it, Kono-chan. Don't worry."

Konoka smiled at her.

"You really go above and beyond for your charges, Set-chan."

Something about the way she said that didn't feel right. Before Setsuna could ask about it, though, her partner was standing up and holding out her hand.

"Come on. Let's finish this up."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, Setsuna sneaking glances at Konoka's peaceful expression in concern. Was she saying… Did she miss Setsuna being by _her_ side constantly? Was that it? Or… Did she think something was different now that Setsuna was watching Tsukuyomi?

That… that part might be true. Everything was different, but—

Setsuna stopped walking. Konoka, attached to her very securely, stopped as well and turned a curious eye on her partner.

"Set-chan?"

"I didn't protect you because I was ordered to. It—it was never about that. I just… I wanted you to be safe. I wanted to protect you. I still want that, Kono-chan. More than anything."

"But Tsukuyomi-san's the one you have to look after right now," Konoka supplied, smiling. Her eyes were shining far too brightly, but she didn't look sad.

Setsuna froze.

She felt like she had just stumbled onto something important. Something serious that would explain all of this confusing day to her. She didn't know what that could possibly be, but… looking into Konoka's eyes, she felt like she was seeing everything that she was missing.

"Kono-chan…" she started, "that decision of yours…"

"I wanted to make a new promise with you," Konoka said softly. "One even more important than us staying by each other's sides as partners."

"Nothing's more important than that," Setsuna said emphatically.

Konoka giggled. "Not to you, maybe. But for me, there's only one thing I've really wanted. And that matters to me more than anything." She took a deep breath and grinned at Setsuna. "I want you to be happy."

Setsuna stared at her partner in confusion. Her heart was thumping painfully in her chest, and an unnamed fear was accompanying it. Konoka wouldn't… she _couldn't_ be saying that. "Kono-chan… being with you always makes me happy. Just because I have another responsibility at the moment—it's temporary. It won't last forever."

Saying that made a brief shot of pain go through her chest, but she forced herself not to care. Ojou-sama, Kono-chan, Konoka… That was the person she cared about, right? Not…

Not…

Konoka laughed. "Set-chan… see, you're worrying again. I keep telling you not to, and you keep doing it." She brought up her hands and cupped Setsuna's face. "Stop it. For real, this time. Promise me you'll stop worrying about whether or not what you're feeling is right. Just _relax_, Set-chan. For me?"

Something about the way she said that felt more horrifying than anything Setsuna had ever experienced before. She stared at her partner, falling into her eyes and wondering just how much of her Konoka had been seeing all along.

Konoka shook her head and tapped Setsuna on the nose affectionately. "If you really need it to be, consider it an order, okay?"

* * *

Tsukuyomi had been considerate enough to not latch onto her the second they went to bed tonight. Setsuna didn't know if that meant the girl was still hurt and irritated with her or not, but she was grateful for it. She wanted some time alone with her thoughts to absorb all of this mess that she had somehow created and figure out just how much damage she had done and she still didn't really know what had started this all in the first place—

A comforting warm body snuggled up against hers.

Setsuna struggled to ignore it. Now was not the time to—

To—

"_Just _relax_, Set-chan."_

She rested her head against Tsukuyomi's soft hair.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it._

She'd made it an order, right?

Following orders wasn't…

Setsuna's eyes drifted shut.


End file.
